Ex-CNN staffer claims his 'flamboyant' wardrobe got him fired

Twitter

Ex-CNN staffer claims his 'flamboyant' wardrobe got him fired
(Image credit: Twitter)

A former CNN staffer is suing the network for $60 million, claiming he was discriminated against for his brightly colored wardrobe, which was deemed "too flamboyant" by his boss. Since William Kane joined the channel in 2002, the studio technician said he regularly wore an abundance of eye-popping clothing such as neon green soccer jerseys, yellow track suits, and even a mariachi outfit to work. Kane claims no one informed him of a proper dress code.

In October 2012, Kane wore a black mariachi outfit to work, and it garnered the praises of anchors Christiane Amanpour and Fareed Zakaria. After that incident, however, Kane said that his supervisor John Silva began acting hostile towards him. Kane came out to him after keeping his sexuality secret for nearly a decade, the lawsuit claims.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us

Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.