(VIDEO) Rosanna Scotto Breaks Down In Tears On Air During Emotional Return After Mother’s Death At Age 90

NEW YORK — Longtime Fox 5 New York anchor Rosanna Scotto became overcome with emotion live on air Tuesday during her first broadcast back following the death of her mother, Marion Scotto, who died at age 90.

The 68-year-old co-host of “Good Day New York” broke down in tears during the Tuesday, Sept. 1, broadcast after B.J. Thomas’ 1969 hit “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” played ahead of the morning weather segment, unexpectedly stirring memories of her late parents.

“Sorry, sorry. This song reminds me of my parents,” Scotto said as she struggled to regain her composure on air.

Scotto quickly turned her attention to thanking viewers for the outpouring of support she had received since announcing her mother’s death roughly a week earlier.

“Anyway, thank you so much for all the comments and text messages and whatever,” she continued, before adding, “I just want to say thank you to everybody who has been so kind and supportive of my mother’s passing.”

She then looked upward, speaking directly to her late mother.

“Anyway, like I said. Mom, I’m sorry,” Scotto said.

In a lighter moment amid the emotional segment, Scotto joked about her mother’s likely reaction to the on-air tears.

“My mother would kill me right now if she saw me crying on the air, so we’re going to get it together,” Scotto said.

Co-anchor Dan Bowens offered support to Scotto in the moment, telling her, “Rosanna, you have our deepest condolences from all of us here at Fox 5 and all of our viewers.”

Scotto first announced her mother’s death in a heartfelt tribute posted to Instagram on Aug. 26. The news prompted an outpouring of condolences from a wide circle of Scotto’s friends and colleagues in media and entertainment, including Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, Andy Cohen, Gloria Gaynor, Debi Mazar, Jill Martin, Dolores Catania and Margaret Josephs.

Following the announcement, Scotto took time away from her anchor duties before returning to “Good Day New York” on Tuesday. In a video posted to her Instagram grid marking her return, Scotto explained that going back to work reflected what she believed her mother would have wanted for her.

“We’re back on the saddle; mom would have wanted it that way,” Scotto told her followers. “So, thank you for the text messages, the comments, the Instagram messages. I appreciate it so much. It was really lovely. I’m still going through everything.”

Scotto went on to describe her mother’s own approach to grief and work, recalling how Marion Scotto had insisted the family return to their restaurant business almost immediately after the death of Scotto’s father.

“It’s time to get back to work. Mom would have wanted that,” Scotto said. “In fact, after Dad died, she had us back in the restaurant that night. I’ve taken more time than she would have allowed, if she was around. So thank you, thank you, thank you. See you on Good Day.”

Marion Scotto was widely regarded as the heart of the Scotto family’s restaurant business, Fresco by Scotto, an Italian eatery in Manhattan that has long been associated with the family name. According to accounts of the family’s history, Marion mortgaged the family’s Brooklyn home decades ago to help launch the restaurant, a decision that became a foundational part of the Scotto family’s story in the New York restaurant scene.

Rosanna Scotto has anchored “Good Day New York” on Fox 5’s WNYW since 2008, first alongside Greg Kelly and later with Lori Stokes, becoming one of the most recognizable and longest-tenured local news anchors in the New York City market. Scotto, born in New York City in 1958, comes from a well-known New York family; her father, Anthony Scotto, and her grandfather, Anthony Anastasio, were prominent figures in the city’s labor and civic circles.

Scotto’s emotional return to the anchor desk drew significant attention across entertainment and local news outlets, many of which highlighted both the raw, unscripted nature of the on-air moment and the broader outpouring of public sympathy that followed. Moments of visible grief from longtime, familiar television personalities have increasingly resonated with audiences in recent years, often prompting widespread sharing on social media as viewers respond to the authenticity of an anchor processing personal loss in real time, in contrast to the typically polished and controlled tone of live morning television.

The moment also underscored the particular pressures faced by broadcast journalists and anchors, who are often expected to return to public-facing roles relatively quickly after personal loss, balancing professional obligations with the ongoing process of grief. Scotto’s remarks suggested she viewed her return to work not as a departure from mourning, but as an extension of values she said her mother had modeled for the family throughout her life.

This is not the first time this year that Scotto has publicly mourned the loss of someone close to her professional life. Earlier in 2026, Scotto spoke publicly about the death of her former Fox 5 co-anchor Ernie Anastos, who died at age 82, recalling how Anastos had offered her early career guidance when she was still a college student exploring a path into television news. Scotto described Anastos at the time as “a terrific newsman — compassionate and fair,” and said she had learned from him how to “stay cool under pressure” throughout her decades-long broadcasting career.

Scotto has not indicated whether she plans to take any further scheduled time away from “Good Day New York” in the coming weeks, and the program has continued its regular broadcast schedule following Tuesday’s emotional segment. Fox 5 has not issued any additional statement beyond the on-air remarks offered by Scotto’s colleagues during Tuesday’s broadcast.