Zoey Tur has become the country's first out transgender news reporter after being hired by "Inside Edition" as a special correspondent.
"It’s great to be back," Tur
told The Wrap. "I’ve been told by local Los Angeles news directors that I would never work again. I felt horrible about it. I almost believed it."
Tur, 54, is no stranger to the news business, and many people knew him in Los Angeles as "Chopper Bob." He made a name for himself with his coverage of the O.J. Simpson police chase as well as the riots over the Rodney King verdict.
For her first assignment on "Inside Edition," Tur will take viewers through her transition, which began 10 years ago upon leaving the news business.
"I didn’t want to be on the air anymore; I was fearful someone would learn my secret," she explained. After her transition, she said she missed the news business, and began inquiring about jobs.
"So I reached out to ['Inside Edition' executive producer] Charles Lachman and he called me back three minutes later and said, 'So you wanna make history?' I was floored. CBS has chosen a side in what’s shaping up to be the last civil rights battle in the US — transgender acceptance."
For another segment, Tur came up with the idea of trying to pilot a helicopter once again. They filmed the attempt, and it will air this week.
"My driving has gone-to-hell. It’s not that I’m a worse driver, it’s that I’m just not paying attention . . . the brain changes on estrogen and I process stuff so differently now — it’s kind of like having a brain on steroids," she said.