Weatherman reveals his heartbreaking mental and financial struggles after footage of him performing sex acts on adult webcam sites was leaked to his mother, boyfriend and boss: ‘The toll is hard to describe’
A sacked meteorologist has spoken of his mental and financial problems after footage of him masturbating on camera in front of strangers was leaked online last year.
Erick Adame was fired from Spectrum NY1 in September 2022 after an adult webcam site user took screenshots of him performing explicitly and leaked them.
His last live cam session was on December 28, 2021, when someone posted a link publicly mentioning Adame.
The Emmy-nominated meteorologist opened up to his followers on Friday about his personal struggles since the leak.
He said the toll was too difficult to explain and said he would take a break from social media.
Emmy nominee Erick Adame was fired from Spectrum NY1 last year after an adult webcam site user took screenshots of his explicit performance and leaked them
In a new post on his social media, Adame thanked those close to him while describing mental and financial struggles
‘In December 2021, I was captured naked on a public adult webcam session. It’s something I had done before, but hadn’t been caught in this way until then,” he wrote in a post.
‘Months later, someone sent these images to my mother, my boyfriend and my work. I was laid off in September 2022 and have been unable to find similar work either on or off camera.
‘The toll this has taken on me mentally and financially is difficult to describe.
“I’m still moving forward and doing my best to stay positive, but I need to take a break from social media.
‘The weather with Erick will continue for the time being. I hope that during my time away there will be space to focus on mental health and hopefully get back to work.
‘Thank you to everyone who has been so helpful during this very difficult time.’
Adame also shared a direct message someone sent him on Instagram.
“I saw your video, I’m sorry what happened to you, but you’re so beautiful,” the message read.
Adame asked the user, “Where did you see it so I can delete it,” to which the person replied, “Come on, you did it because you like it, don’t be a hypocrite.”
Adame shared the brief conversation and captioned the post: “My life has been conversations like this for the past two years. This is happening today.”
Adame was nominated for two Emmys during his nearly 15-year career, about five of which he spent as a meteorologist on NY1 before being fired.
In addition to the post, Adame also shared a conversation with an Instagram user, which he said happened every day
In response to sharing the post with X, which has since been deleted, Adame was flooded with comments wishing him well.
One person said: ‘I’m sorry you’re going through this. Do what’s best for you. That should never have affected your career for a host of reasons.
“You have a great, pleasant and professional attitude when you returned to NY1. The next hire will only benefit from having you on their team.”
Another wrote: ‘Stay strong and stay positive. There are certainly better days ahead.”
The weatherman had previously told how online sexual acts made him ‘feel better about myself’ in his twenties.
He admitted he would even reveal on cam that he was an employee of NY1 – and it was revealed he had told up to 700 users his full name and address.
Breaking his silence, Adame told the Death, Sex & Money podcast: “It makes me feel better about myself.
Adame revealed that his camming days started on Skype, where he would video call people he knew from university
Adame is seen on a beach in a 2018 Instagram post before the scandal
‘For years, starting in my teenage years, I had low self-esteem and was ashamed of who I am because I was gay.
“And showing off, and getting that kind of praise and being called sexy, I want to see more. Hearing that from someone on the other side made you feel so good.”
He said he debated showing his face to the camera while performing the sex acts, and ultimately did so.
Adame added: “It just wasn’t the same. It wasn’t that fun. I thought my face was pretty… when I’m looking for compliments, this is one of my best features. You know how you have the devil on your shoulder and the angel on your shoulder?’
He said his cam days started on Skype, where he would make video calls with people he knew from college. But as he got older, he performed in front of strangers and became “riskier” when he moved to New York in 2017.
Looking back on the leaked images, he previously admitted: ‘They are graphic. Some of them are so humiliating now.”
Leaked audio from a performance first obtained by The counter revealed how he pushed bosses to keep tabs on him.
‘I would love it if my boss saw me. “I would love it if my boss fucked me on camera,” he said in an appearance.
He said he was desperate for sex and invited men to his home to sleep with him.
As he grew older, he performed in front of strangers and became “riskier” when he moved to New York in 2017.
He complained on social media about the way he had been exposed and later filed legal paperwork to force the website to tell him who filmed him.
Elsewhere in the performance, he asked viewers if they could ‘imagine’ their ‘weatherman’ acting like him.
In September, Adame wrote in a lengthy confessional post: “Despite being a public figure and being on television in the country’s largest market for over a decade and a half to millions of people, five days a week, I secretly appeared on an adult webcam website .
“On this site I expressed my compulsive behavior while at home by performing on camera for other men,” he wrote.
“It was 100% consensus from both sides. I wasn’t paid for this, and it was absurd of me to think I could keep this private. Yet my employer found out and I was suspended and then fired.’
Adame was nominated for two Emmys during his nearly 15-year career, about five of which he spent as a meteorologist on NY1 before being fired.