Just over a year ago, Erick Adame was fired from his position as a meteorologist on Spectrum News NY1.
The 40-year-old weatherman was terminated from his job once naked photos of him surfaced online after he exposed himself to a group on a webcam website.
Not only did these provocative pictures pop up on blog websites, but an anonymous viewer mailed screenshots of Adame to his former employer and Adame's family including his boyfriend and mother.
Since his termination, Adame has not been able to secure another job at a news station. Currently, he's working as a host at a New York restaurant and runs his own weather service that people can subscribe to.
Erick Adame Breaks Down in Tears While Talking About Spectrum News NY1youtu.be
While many people have heard some of the details the night Adame exposed himself online, the meteorologist is opening up about the experience and how it's affected him.
Adame had performed sexual acts online previously before the session someone captured.
"This was meant to be a private space for me. Once I did it a few times and no one recognized me, I got comfortable. I thought it was going to be these people in this small bubble that would ever see this or hear this," Adame tells The Advocate.
Although he had hosted small groups online before, his final webcam session had hundreds of people watching him.
"That didn't just happen. Why was I so popular that night? I was recognized. When I was recognized, someone went to a bunch of blog sites [and shared] the link. In minutes, hundreds of people were watching," he says.
While rumors started circulating as to what he was doing the night hundreds of men were watching him, Adame says he wants to clear up exactly what transpired that night.
"There were no drugs involved. There was not even any alcohol involved. There were some poppers involved. One of the things a person typing on a computer screen said to me was, 'I want you to write your name on your chest. I want you to write NY1 on your chest.' I did everything I was asked. I knew as I was doing it, that it was a mistake," he shares.
Erick Adame Reveals New Details the Night He Exposed Himself Onlineyoutu.be
During the session, Adame revealed his name, occupation, and full address to the strangers watching him. He also said, "It'd be hot if my boss saw me. I would love my boss to f*** me on camera."
After he was done unloading all of his personal information online, Adame broke down in tears from what he had done.
"What people don't know, except for those that are close to me, is that afterward, I cried. I didn't really understand why I did what I did. Sometimes sex is super complicated and you have this immediate regret. I literally cried because I felt the really high risk of what I had done."
A few months after Adame went live for the final time, Spectrum News NY1 was alerted of leaked photos that were starting to spread online. However, the news station didn't fire Adame immediately.
"I had months before HR called me into the office. In that time, every single day, I was scouring the internet for pictures or videos of what had played out. I did everything to get that removed. I had so much anxiety for so long."
HR warned Adame to remove any other compromising photos or videos online. If not, there would be consequences.
"It was so awkward. Only a select few knew about what was happening, but they noticed a change in me. I was so anxious. I remember my executive producer pulling me aside and saying 'Hey, is everything okay?' I had to lie and say everything was fine. It was tough going into work every day and trying to act like everything is fine."
Shortly after Spectrum News NY1 discovered the photos online, an anonymous person sent more graphic photos of Adame to the news station, which eventually led to Adame's firing.
"It's been over a year and I'm still getting emotional now talking about it. I loved my job so much. I loved the people that I worked with. They were my work family. I didn't even get to say goodbye to any of them. I worked there for 15 years. I grew up with them and I didn't get to say goodbye. That's the crappiest part about all of this. Thankfully, we all met up and they gave me hugs and support. The support has been amazing."
Would Erick Adame Join OnlyFans?youtu.be
Adame hasn't given up on his passion for the weather. The meteorologist launched his own subscription-based service where people can get weather alerts from Adame.
Some people speculated that Adame would venture into sex work following his firing from NY1, but he has no plans to launch an OnlyFans.
"I think it's no secret that I enjoy sex. Against my will, everyone knows that now, which is totally fine! They even know my sexual preferences. Yes, I'm a bottom! Although I'd have fun, I'm sure, I don't think that that would give me the same level of pride that I was getting from doing the weather. I've wanted to be a weatherman since I was 7 years old."
Even though he's currently focusing on his own weather service, Adame is hungry to join a news station and get back on TV doing what he loves the most.
"Wherever I go, it's just surrounding me. It's the elephant in the room in every interview. I have told news directors in interviews that I've learned from my mistakes. I wrote my name on my chest and put my employer in there as well. That's a mistake. I would never do that again and I never will do that again. I will not ever put myself in that level of public exposure ever again."
The meteorologist is also looking at stations all around the country and might even land a position in an unlikely place.
"I haven't landed a job yet, but I've had some really great conversations and they've been in the most surprising places — several stations in the deep South. That gives me hope that the right position will come along and someone's going to give me that second chance that I've been asking for. I am still very much still in this, but I can see that light at the end of the tunnel. It's way down there, but I see it."
