The reporter who notoriously did not bug out over a cockroach crawling on her during a live TV broadcast will be well-prepared going forward.
Raid, the pest control brand, gifted KTLA 5’s Rachel Menitoff a “live shot survival kit,” the station announced on July 30.
It comes after Menitoff went viral earlier this month while reporting on the heat wave in Southern California. While on camera in Los Angeles’ Sherman Oaks neighborhood during a live broadcast, a cockroach scurried across Menitoff’s blouse and chest before flying away.
The moment gained widespread attention on social media because Menitoff remained composed in an otherwise itchy situation.
Raid gifts reporter ‘survival kit’ after cockroach incident
Alongside the survival kit, Raid sent Menitoff a card offering “major respect,” KTLA.com reported.
“While most of us would have immediately abandoned the live shot and probably the state, you handled an unexpected flying cockroach encounter with incredible professionalism, composure and good humor. The internet noticed and so did we,” the card said, per KTLA.
The survival kit included perimeter protection spray, a hat, roach repellent and stickers, the station said.
Raid said the kit was “to help ensure you’re prepared for whatever decides to crash your next broadcast.”
Watch viral moment cockroach crawls on reporter
Menitoff said after the initial incident that she knew the bug was on her in the moment, but tried to stay composed.
“I knew if I took notice of it, I wouldn’t be able to continue on with the report. So I said to myself, just get through this moment and then kind of shake it off,” she told KTLA.com afterward.
“Ironically, the story was about the extreme heat in the Valley, and these cockroaches are attracted to the heat and the warm temperatures and our camera lights,” she continued. “So it was sort of the perfect environment for the roaches.”
Contributing: KiMi Robinson
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.