Scandal has erupted at Tennessee’s NewsChannel 5 after former meteorologist Bree Smith filed a bombshell lawsuit against her ex-employer and co-worker, Henry Rothenberg, throwing a spotlight on behind-the-scenes drama at the prestigious news station.
Smith, who worked at NewsChannel 5 for nearly a decade before her departure in 2025, accuses Rothenberg of launching a barrage of chauvinistic attacks over the years—including an alleged 2017 verbal assault where he reportedly sneered, ‘You only landed your job because of your breasts.’
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, according to legal documents seen by The Tennessean. Smith blasts Rothenberg for spewing sexist slurs about multiple women, sometimes even in the presence of industry insiders, and claims her pregnancy left her a target for more cruel comments. After the heartbreaking death of a close friend’s one-year-old, Smith says Rothenberg brushed off her emotions, blaming hormones for her grief.
The explosive lawsuit, submitted on December 29 in U.S. District Court, doesn’t just go after Rothenberg—it also puts NewsChannel 5 and its parent company, the E.W. Scripps Company, in the crosshairs. Smith’s lawsuit accuses station management of a sham investigation that swept her complaints under the rug instead of delivering real accountability. She’s demanding monetary damages for the emotional suffering she says she endured, and wants the station slapped with a stiff penalty to send a message about workplace abuse.
The nightmare didn’t stop at the office. Smith alleges the company stood by as pranksters unleashed digital deepfake images, pasting her face onto semi-nude bodies across the internet. In a gut-wrenching interview with CBS News in May, Smith admitted online abusers had left her devastated, insisting, ‘I cry myself to sleep most nights, mostly because I don’t want my kids to see me.’ She drew a line in the sand, declaring, ‘This is my life. I’m 43 years old and I have worked hard and I have loved well, and I’m not going to just roll over and take this.’
Smith soon picked up the mantle, backing the Tennessee ‘Preventing Deepfake Images Act,’ which later sailed through the state senate. But at work, she says, the hits kept coming. Her lawsuit alleges her job became a marathon—she was forced to endure grueling 16-hour shifts when male colleagues bailed, including one occasion when Rothenberg allegedly faked his father’s death as an excuse—only to later send coworkers a selfie lounging on his sofa, whiskey in hand, with his supposedly ailing dad.
Despite the storm, NewsChannel 5 released a defiant public statement, refuting Smith’s claims and vowing to fight back in court. The broadcaster maintains it was eager for Smith to stay onboard after her contract expired and insists it handled her concerns appropriately. But Smith is adamant the company’s real move was retaliation for blowing the whistle on a toxic workplace—a battle that now heads to the courtroom.
