Florence “Flo” Anthony, a groundbreaking entertainment journalist, author, and TV and radio personality, has passed away. She was 74
Jack Hirsch, biographer of Anthony’s husband, former pro boxing champ Michael Spinks, confirmed Anthony passed from cancer to the New York Amsterdam News.
Born on March 4, 1952, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Anthony launched her career as a publicist for Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes.
Her ultimate goal was sports journalism, but her foot in the door at the Post came in 1986 as an agate clerk—a role that eventually led her to the entertainment section. She later recounted her seven-year tenure at the outlet in a 2013 feature with Urban Bridgez.
“After a while, they said, ‘You flunked the job,’ and I was like. ‘What do you mean I flunked?’ But it was the thing of being the agate clerk; you had to do a lot, and I would be there all night till like 5 in the morning,” Anthony recalled.
“So they were like. ‘Don’t worry, we see you have a master’s degree in fine arts. We’re moving you to the entertainment department.’ I went to the entertainment department kicking and screaming,” Anthony continued. “They said, ‘Look, it’s a day job and pays more money, so why are you upset?’ So I went from the first African American woman in the sports department to the first African American woman in entertainment.”
ANTHONY’S LEGENDARY CAREER IN MEDIA
Anthony broke ground as the first Black reporter to work in the New York Post‘s entertainment and legendary Page Six departments. She also was the first woman in the outlet’s sports department. Anthony also had long-running syndicated columns like “Go With The Flo” in The New York Amsterdam News. She built an extensive broadcast career as an expert commentator on television programs like E! Entertainment, Inside Edition, and TV One. Through her company, Dottie Media Group, she hosted syndicated radio segments.
Additionally, she was a publicist for high-profile boxers and the author of four mystery novels.
Anthony is survived by her longtime partner, Michael Spinks, whom she married in January.