Ousted ABC News meteorologist Rob Marciano clashes with GMA meteorologist Ginger Zee: Sources

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by Alexandra Stegrad

Ousted meteorologist Rob Marciano's stormy tenure at ABC News included clashes with fellow meteorologist Ginger Zee — a bitter feud that was kept secret for years at the network, The Post has learned.

Marciano, who was fired on Tuesday over alleged “anger management” issues, according to a source, joined “Good Morning America” ​​in 2014 to headline Zee's weekend gig.

At that time, Zee was promoted to the daily “GMA” block to replace chief meteorologist Sam Champion, who had moved to the Weather Channel at that time.

From the beginning, Zee and Marciano's working relationship was as turbulent as a Category 5 hurricane — and stayed that way for years, sources familiar with the matter told The Post on Wednesday.

While Marciano's “hot temper” caused problems on the show, Zee was also capable of being “nasty,” the source said.

“I think it brought out the worst in him. I'm not giving him a pass,” the source said. “It's sad because they're both people who are really into weather science, and unfortunately their characters didn't work out.”

Marciano, 55 – who joined ABC from “Entertainment Tonight” after spending 10 years as a meteorologist at CNN – and Zee, 43, frequently butted heads, according to multiple sources.

“I treated him as a beta and she was an alpha,” the publicist said. “But they were much more peers, in terms of experience, than Ginger was with Sam.”

Marciano's arrival coincided with the network's decision to launch a 24/7 weather unit intended to provide around-the-clock coverage of ABC News' various programs, including “GMA” and “World News Tonight.”

However, the two did not cooperate, and Zi “immediately moved up the ranks” on assignments, the insider said.

The Post has reached out to ABC News and Zee for comment.

Marciano's representatives did not comment.

“Ginger is a know-it-all. If I say something she doesn't agree with, she points out to her Twitter followers: 'You're wrong, my Twitter followers loved it.'

Meanwhile, in meetings, when Marciano did not agree with the management's decision, his “body language and tone of voice would change.”

“If he's unhappy about something, you'll know it,” the executive said. “He would lose his temper in meetings when he received news he didn't like.”

A source close to Zee claimed that Marciano had “behavioral” issues and questioned how difficult it was to work with her.

“Ginger is a collaborative, inclusive and hard-working leader who is highly respected by her colleagues and has never had any complaints about her work style,” the source said, adding that any other suggestion would be considered “sexist.”

The source also noted that the two worked different schedules with minimal overlap.

It is not clear why Marciano was let go, but sources have speculated that Marciano's contract was not renewed after a wave of complaints emerged about his behavior last year.

Last year, a Cornell University graduate was temporarily banned from the GMA studios in Times Square after he allegedly made a colleague feel uncomfortable. Page Six was published in March 2023.

“It turns out he did something…that was inappropriate, but he got punished for it, and they still won't let him back,” an insider told Page Six at the time.

More recently, he was moved to “World News Tonight” and provided occasional field reports for “GMA” — but was banned from the studio, the second source said.

One source speculated that Marciano's salary — which one executive said was just under $1 million when he was hired away from “Entertainment Tonight” where he co-hosted the show — was making too much money.

Debra O'Connell, the newly appointed head of ABC News Group, likely looked at the budget and saw that his salary did not justify the reduced workload, the source said.

It's unclear what exactly happened between Marciano and his teammate last year, but another source said he was dealing with some “anger management issues” during the… Going through a divorce From his wife.

The two were married for 11 years and have two children.

A source who worked with Marciano said his behavior was not related to his divorce or his disagreements with Zee.

“His personality was not due to his divorce or being treated like Peeta,” the source said. “He has a temper. He has a short fuse.”