'I Knew It Was On Me' - TV Reporter Somehow Holds It Together as Giant Bug Crawls Across Her Chest While She's On Camera
If they gave medals for grace under pressure while the cameras are rolling, Rachel Menitoff would qualify for sure.
Menitoff, a reporter for KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, was broadcasting live Tuesday night about Southern California’s heat wave when a giant cockroach landed on her shirt.
Menitoff kept her cool and continued her narrative about evening temperatures as the creepy crawler skittered around her neckline.
At one point, the cockroach appeared to head south inside her clothing.
However, her coworkers on the KTLA news desk — who appeared to take great delight in watching the replay on Wednesday morning’s broadcast — said the critter had actually leaped onto her microphone.
Menitoff managed to keep her composure until the end of the segment.
“The only hint Menitoff was uncomfortable was her eyes lighting up and getting pretty wide midway through her report,” Mediaite reported.
“I knew it was on me,” she said, according to KTLA’s story about the incident.
“But I knew if I took notice of it, I wouldn’t be able to continue on with the report. So I said to myself, ‘Just get through this moment and then kind of shake it off.’”
And shake she did. As soon as she was off the air, Menitoff’s stoic demeanor immediately changed.
The camera captured her tossing her microphone to the pavement and vigorously brushing herself off.
SURPRISE LANDING
An insect crashed @KTLA reporter @RachelMenitoff‘s live shot last night, and we must praise her professionalism. Who else could remain this cool!? pic.twitter.com/a0naM2zxq9— KTLA 5 Morning News (@KTLAMorningNews) July 15, 2026
“I have to hand it to her — she was really calm,” anchor Eric Spillman remarked.
One of his female co-hosts gasped, “Oh, my gosh… so those FLY? Ewww!”
“That’s our Rachel Menitoff, who is so professional,” anchor Megan Henderson said, according to KTLA. “She kept her cool. There’s no way I would have been able to keep going.”
“No way,” traffic reporter Ginger Chan agreed.
Meteorologist Kirk Hawkins said, “Now we’re all going to have nightmares about flying cockroaches.”
Menitoff said the guest appearance by the cockroach was fitting for the subject matter of her report.
“Ironically, the story was about the extreme heat in the Valley, and these cockroaches are attracted to the heat and the warm temperatures and our camera lights,” she said.
“So, it was sort of the perfect environment for the roaches.”
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