Friday, October 5, 2012

'Bully' Viewer Stands by Critical Email to Overweight TV Anchor







He wrote an email so critical of his local TV anchorwoman's weight that it caused her to deliver an on-air response that made national headlines.


Yet, Kenneth Krause, the Wisconsin man behind the infamous email to Jennifer Livingston, a morning anchor with WKBT-TV in La Crosse, Wis., is not backing down, even as his public profile continues to grow.



A photo of Krause's posing behind a mountain bike in a tank top, helmet and bulging biceps is making the rounds after appearing on the Facebook page of Brian Simpson, a local radio host and friend of Livingston's who invited Krause to appear on his show.



READ MORE: Overweight TV Anchor Responds to Viewer 'Bully'



"Once again, I'd like to invite Kenneth to come on our show, The Morning Sickness on 95.7 The Rock, and talk about his hatred for people who are a bit overweight. I sure hope his wife, Michele, doesn't pack on a few pounds … who knows what he'd do to her," Simpson wrote on his page.



Krause, who, according to local media, is a personal injury attorney, has reportedly declined that request. Attempts to reach him today by ABC News were not successful.



He did, however, offer Livingston, a mother of three who acknowledged being overweight - even obese - in her four-minute, on-air editorial address Tuesday morning in which she also called Krause a "bully," help in losing weight.



" … I hope she will finally take advantage of a rare and golden opportunity to influence the health and psychological well-being of Coulee Region children by transforming herself for all of her viewers to see over the next year," reads the statement submitted by Krause to WKBT after Livingston's editorial aired. "To that end, I would be absolutely pleased to offer Jennifer any advice or support she would be willing to accept."



READ MORE: Livingston's Famous Brother Stands by Her Side



Krause's email to Livingston - in which he questioned her example as a role model for young girls because of her weight and asked her to "reconsider" her responsibility as a "local public personality" - went viral after her husband and fellow WKBT anchor, Mike Thompson, posted it to his Facebook page. Thompson's Facebook page and the story posted by WKTB on its website have each received thousands of comments. Videos of the on-air editorial posted to YouTube have been viewed million of times.



They appeared on "Good Morning America" earlier this week, questioning Krause's own character for criticizing Livingston without knowing the facts.



"He doesn't know that she has a condition, a thyroid condition, that makes it harder for her to lose weight. He doesn't know any of that," Thompson said. "He just decided to attack her for no reason."



Livingston, a tri-athlete and a runner, says she would like to lose weight, but not because of Krause.



"I would like to get healthier for my own reasons. It doesn't really have to do with him," Livingston told "GMA" in a new interview Thursday. "It's not about him anymore.



"There are a lot of people out there who are so supportive in ways that are not negative and I will reach out to those people," she said. "I don't know what, if any, help he [Krause] could provide me."



The outpouring of support that Livingston has received since she publicly defended herself against Krause's comments has turned her story into a tale seemingly destined for Hollywood, and one of the people supporting her could help make that happen.



Livingston's brother, Ron Livingston, is an actor famous for his roles in "Office Space" and "Sex and the City," among others.



"I got a text from him first thing this morning saying, 'Way to go sissy. I'm so proud of you,'" she told "GMA."

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