A giant bug decided to become on-air talent during a live broadcast, crawling all over an impossibly professional TV news reporter.
Earlier this week, KTLA reporter Rachel Menitoff proved she has nerves of steel when an uninvited six-legged guest made its TV debut… crawling across her chest and neck while she was live on air discussing LA’s heatwave.
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As seen in a July 14 broadcast shared on X, Menitoff was mid-sentence when what appeared to be a well-fed cockroach boldly strutted into frame across her navy blue jumpsuit. Clearly unbothered by the cameras, the beast then made its grand tour up to her bare décolletage before getting briefly (and horrifyingly) tangled in her hair.
SURPRISE LANDING
— KTLA 5 Morning News (@KTLAMorningNews) July 15, 2026
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
While most of us would have screamed, sworn, and quit on the spot, Menitoff barely flinched. She coolly carried on discussing the heatwave as the cockroach (apparently satisfied with its television debut) made one final dramatic leap onto her microphone before flying off into the warm LA night.
“I knew it was on me,” Menitoff later recalled. “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.’”
Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes footage revealed that after the cameras cut, Menitoff wasted no time brushing down her clothes and arms
“Yes, this is a flying cockroach,” Menitoff quipped on Instagram, posting the now-viral clip. “Trying to steal my thunder.”
Reportedly, the cockroach is searching for an agent following the star-making turn.