Rosanna Scotto struggled to hold back tears while remembering her late mother, Marion Scotto.
The longtime “Good Day New York” co-host became emotional during Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox 5 morning show, marking her first day back at work since her mother’s death last month at age 90.
Scotto, 68, choked up after hearing B.J. Thomas’ “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” during the broadcast, saying, “Sorry, sorry, this song reminds me of my parents,” according to People.
Through tears, Scotto thanked viewers for the outpouring of comments she’d received in the week since her mother’s death.
“My mother would kill me right now if she saw me crying on the air, so we’re going to get it together,” she said. “I just want to say thank you to everybody who has been so kind and supportive [after] my mom’s passing. Anyway, like I said, Mom, I’m sorry.”
Scotto’s co-anchor, Dan Bowens, chimed in with a message of support: “Rosanna, you have our deepest condolences from all of us here at Fox 5 and all of our viewers.”
Scotto announced her mother’s death on Instagram on Aug. 26, calling her “the heart of Fresco by Scotto,” the restaurant owned and operated by the Scotto family.
“The woman who taught us that family comes first, that hard work is a privilege, and that faith, love and determination can carry you through almost anything,” Scotto said of her mother in the heartfelt tribute.
She commended her mother’s “incredible courage” for taking a “leap of faith” in November 1993, when she opened the now-well-known Manhattan Italian eatery.
“She believed that if you welcomed every guest as though they were entering your home, success would follow,” Scotto added. “She was right.”
For more than 32 years, the restaurant has been a star-studded hot spot, with “Mama Scotto” welcoming A-list guests including Jay-Z, Selena Gomez, Nick Jonas, Sylvester Stallone, Bill and Hillary Clinton, as well as other world leaders and celebrities.
“We have been so fortunate to have a lot of VIPs who come to Fresco by Scotto,” Scotto told Page Six in June 2024, adding, “If I had to put my finger on why they feel comfortable here, it’s because we make them feel comfortable here.”
Fresco by Scotto, however, was not her mother’s “greatest achievement,” Scotto wrote on social media. “It was her family.”
Marion Scotto was a mother of four, grandmother of eight — including Rosanna’s son, Louis Ruggiero Jr., who married in March — and a great-grandmother.
“She believed in her family,” Scotto wrote in part in her tribute. “She believed in hard work.”
The post Rosanna Scotto breaks down in tears on live TV after mom’s death at 90 appeared first on Page Six.
