ORLANDO, Fla. – After internet trolls bashed News 6 anchor Matt Austin’s daughters on Facebook, he responded with a video message, making it clear he did not appreciate the negative commentary and letting his girls know he is “always gonna have their back.”
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He says it all started when he shared a picture with his daughters going to their homecoming dance. While most of the comments were positive, Matt says there were about a half dozen people attacking his daughter’s outfit choices.
“(They were) saying things like, ‘I would never let my daughter go out in that,’ ‘My father would not let me,’ ‘I would never be in that kind of outfit around my father,’” Austin said.
So, Matt took to TikTok letting people know.
“One thing that has always pissed me off as a father of girls is when people say things, like, ‘Oh, these girls need to dress so they don’t distract the boys,’ or even worse, ‘They’re dressing in a way in which they’re asking for it,’” the video continues. “Let’s get something crystal clear now, it’s not my daughter’s job to make sure your son is focused in school. It’s also not her job for her to dress hideous enough to where your son doesn’t assault her,” he said.
@flnewsman A dad responds to Karens taking aim at teen daughters’ Homecoming dresses. #fashiontiktok #parentsoftiktok -#fypシ #hoco ♬ original sound - mattja83
Matt wraps the video by turning the criticism back on the trolls who had gone after his family.
“You know what would really disappoint me? If my girls grew up to be the kind of adult who goes on social media and demeans a teen’s appearance on her father’s Facebook page. Now that’s what I call trashy,” he said.
In the premiere episode of the News 6+ Takeover on News 6 at 5:30pm, Matt goes on to share, “I’ve told my kids ever since they were babies, ‘If anybody ever comes after you, your daddy’s gonna have your back. If anybody, anything, no matter what -- I don’t care who it is -- I will be there for you and I will handle it.’ And so if I didn’t, you know, what kind of father would I be if I just kind of sat by and let people say whatever?”
During the episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate, co-host and News 6 anchor Ginger Gadsden responded, “I so love you because you remind me a lot of my dad and he was the guy who was our protector, the person who would stand up for us and even as an adult lady person I still wish I had my dad. So, your daughters will look back on this and say, ‘Oh, my gosh, my dad is this, that, and it’s all going to be great, even if they don’t think that right now.’ My dad is the reason I kept my last name because I always want to be associated with him and my husband understands that. I always want to be known as Paul Gadsden’s daughter. That makes me proud. He made Gadsden a good name. You’ve made Austin a good name for your daughters and you are great dad, your wife is a good mom, and your girls are excellent kids and I hate that those people thought they could say what they wanted to say about your family. Shame on them and kudos to you for standing up to them and defending them... it made me think of my own dad in a really good way.”
Matt responded, telling Ginger, “I can tell you being compared to Paul Gadsden is basically the best compliment anybody can give me.”
Hear more from Matt & Ginger as they talk about the family photo that went viral and how Matt’s reaction is gaining support in Central Florida and around the world in the latest episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate.
You can download it from wherever you listen to podcasts.
You can also watch it anytime on News 6+.