A Mississippi TV meteorologist who became an internet sensation for his sincere prayer during a deadly tornado in 2023 has been laid off due to corporate restructuring efforts.
Matt Laubhan, the former chief meteorologist at local ABC affiliate WTVA in northeast Mississippi, became a social media sensation in March 2023 after he prayed on-air for those in the path of a dangerous EF-3 tornado in Amory.
During his live broadcast on the night of the storm, Laubhan urged residents to seek safety: “So, Amory, we need to be in our tornado-safe place. We've got a new scan coming in here as we speak. Oh man, like, north side of Amory, this is coming in. Oh man.”
He then paused, looked down, and quietly prayed, “Dear Jesus, please help them. Amen,” before resuming his report and asking staff to check on a colleague's family in the area.
WTVA's parent company, Allen Media Group (AMG), announced a restructuring plan in May that impacted approximately 2,500 employees, resulting in several layoffs in October. Laubhan and his weather team will be replaced by a regional weather service operated by The Weather Channel, which is a subsidiary of AMG.
This restructuring will impact over 100 meteorologists across 20 stations nationwide, shifting local weather forecasting to pre-recorded segments from The Weather Channel.
While Laubhan has not publicly commented on his layoff, he is remembered by many as a beacon of hope during some of the region's most challenging weather events, as reported by Christian Post.
Supporters of Laubhan have expressed their outrage over the decision. One viewer described him as “an invaluable local presence whose connection to the region went beyond weather reporting.” Helen Thorson, a north Mississippi resident, said in a January 17 Facebook post, “Matt is more than a meteorologist to us. He is a neighbor, a friend, and a face we could rely on.”
Matt Chisholm, another resident, shared a story illustrating Laubhan's impact. He posted an image of a large tree that crashed into a room where his then-6-month-old child regularly slept during storms.
He reflected, “The sobering truth is this … had my family and I not heeded the warning of the approaching storm, my baby girl would have been crushed in that pile of rubble and would not be with us today. By the grace of God, between an amateur knowledge of weather I have been blessed with and affirmation from Matt Laubhan on WTVA, my family and I were safe in a nearby friend's storm shelter as our home was destroyed.”
