A former New York City television meteorologist has returned to his main social media accounts after taking a three-month hiatus to get his personal and mental health affairs in order.
Earlier this month, ex-Spectrum News forecaster Erick Adame relaunched his X (Twitter) and Instagram accounts to announce several personal updates and to resume marketing his standalone weather forecasting app, “Weather with Erick.”
In a 20-minute live broadcast on Instagram, Adame admitted he is still having trouble finding full-time work in the media industry and had resorted to taking numerous part-time jobs over the past year in order to make ends meet. He also affirmed a decision to end his long-time relationship with his boyfriend and move out of their Jersey City.
In September 2022, Adame said he was fired from Spectrum News NY1 after someone leaked intimate photos and videos to his boss and mother. In numerous news interviews, Adame and his representatives characterized the situation as “revenge porn,” a narrative that was countered after The Desk published audio from his final webcam show.
The audio revealed Adame gave out his personal phone number and address during the live stream in question, and also made reference to his job as a Spectrum News meteorologist. At one point in the video, he referenced his manager and said he thought it would be “hot” if his boss caught him performing intimate acts on a live webcam stream.
The audio was associated with one of several videos obtained by The Desk that proved Adame had engaged in several intimate webcam shows dating back to his time as a forecaster in Syracuse, where his career with Spectrum News began. He continued to appear online under various pseudonyms until that final December broadcast, which was sent to colleagues at Spectrum News NY1, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Adame and his legal representatives filed numerous copyright infringement requests in an attempt to have the videos scrubbed from the Internet. He also took the owners of an adult forum to court, asking a judge to compel them to turn over records associated with a user who purportedly distributed some of the content online. The records were turned over in late 2022, and Adame has taken no further legal action.
Since The Desk’s initial reporting on the matter, Adame has changed parts of his story, telling reporters that the activity was consensual but numerous recordings that were posted online were not. In one interview, Adame said a local police department had opened an investigation into the distribution of the videos — something law enforcement officials in Jersey City and New York City have denied to The Desk.
Shortly after he was fired, Adame filed for unemployment benefits, according to two sources familiar with his situation. He also began withdrawing money from his savings account, one person close to him said, adding that his decision to move into a Syracuse apartment owned by his friends was mostly done out of financial necessity.
On Instagram, Adame did not downplay his financial situation, saying it was too expensive to live in New York City and suggesting the high cost of living was the fault of local and state elected officials.
“I was working several part-time jobs to try to pay the bills and pay rent and live a little bit,” Adame said. “I just came to this realization that is easier done not in New York City — something for our government to work on, our city council, our mayor — it’s just not an affordable city.”
Moving back to Syracuse has given Adame some time to catch his breath and catch up on sleep, he said. He has also started working out at a local Planet Fitness, and recently posted a video of him cheering on a sports team at Syracuse University.
Adame has also found part-time work in Syracuse, though he did not say where he is working. He continues to promote his $5 per month weather app, which offers self-produced video forecasts, blog content and an associated newsletter for subscribers.
