Rachel Menitoff is being widely praised after keeping her composure during a live report in Los Angeles when a cockroach suddenly landed on her neck.
The KTLA 5 reporter was out in Sherman Oaks on Tuesday, July 14, covering the latest Southern California heat wave when the insect unexpectedly joined the broadcast.
For most people, that would be more than enough to derail a live television segment.
Instead, Menitoff continued reporting as the cockroach made its way across her neck and chest, eventually reaching her microphone before disappearing.
“And it’s a lot more comfortable at this hour, but we’re still in the 80s here in the Valley,” she said during the moment.
The National Weather Service had an ‘extreme heat warning’ in effect for much of the Los Angeles area, with temperatures forecast to reach 90 to 110 degrees and little overnight relief.
“Overnight temperatures aren’t necessarily dropping, and this leads to less recovery time from the daytime heat.”
What stood out to viewers was how little Menitoff appeared to react, despite the bug clearly crawling over her during the live hit.
Clips of the incident quickly spread online, where many people said they could not believe how calmly she handled it.
“How she didn’t freak out despite being in camera is beyond me,” one said.
“I would have lost my mind, entire day ruined, news reporting OVER.”
Another viewer argued she deserved extra recognition for staying so steady under pressure.
A third called for the presenter to be ‘given a raise’, as they noted:
“If she can remain calm and cool like that, she can report the news anywhere without being afraid.”
Menitoff later explained what was going through her mind while it was happening.
“I said to myself, ‘Just get through this moment and then kind of shake it off’.
“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.”
“So, it was sort of the perfect environment for the roaches.”
Her colleague Eric Spillman was also impressed by her response once the clip began making the rounds.
“I have to hand it to her. She was really calm.”
Other journalists echoed that reaction, admitting they would not have handled the moment nearly as well.
“Had this happened to me, I would have freaked out.”
“This is why I prefer print. KTLA would’ve had a hefty fine for the number of curses that would’ve come out of my mouth if this happened to me. What a pro.”