FOX Weather meteorologist Nick Kosir has an unusual side gig that most viewers wouldn’t expect from their favorite forecaster: an alter ego. He’s “The Dancing Weatherman” who has nearly five million followers on social media.
“I wish I could tell you that it was all part of my master plan, but it wasn’t. It was all kind of by accident, really,” Kosir told Fox News Digital.
FOX Weather meteorologist Nick Kosir, also known as “The Dancing Weatherman,” moonlights as a social media star with nearly five million followers.
“I never took a dance class or lesson in my life, never have prided myself on dancing prior to this,” he said. “It’s endlessly entertaining to me because it’s so weird that people think I’m a good dancer.”
But people don’t just think The Dancing Weatherman is simply a “good” dancer. Kosir has amassed a staggering 4.6 million followers between Instagram and TikTok with his often-viral, always mesmerizing dance routines. It all started in 2019 as a local weatherman at FOX 46 in Charlotte, N.C., when he was urged by management to post on social media.
“I had nothing to post and I was kind of frustrated. I started scrolling through my Instagram feeds for inspiration, and I saw some guys dancing and I thought to myself, ‘I could probably do that,’” Kosir said.
Kosir then memorized the dance, performed it in the FOX 46 studio, posted it to Instagram and took a nap. While he was fast asleep, his phone become flooded with messages, alerts and new followers as a social media star was born.
“When I woke up from that nap, man, nothing has been the same since,” Kosir said. “People actually like the dancing, which I couldn’t believe… so I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Kosir jokes that he’ll stop when he “runs out of moves” or when people get sick of him, but that isn’t likely to happen anytime soon.
“The best part about it all is that people say my videos help them get through a tough day, you know, I probably would have stopped long ago but those comments have really encouraged me to keep going,” Kosir said. “It’s funny because, I go through my own struggles, and I know how that feels, and if I can help some other people not feel like the world is coming down for a couple of minutes, then, I kind of feel like it’s my duty to keep going.”
Kosir has 2.1 million followers on Instagram and another 2.5 million on TikTok and counting. He’s already collaborated with multiple social media stars, influencers and rappers and the newfound spotlight that comes with moving from local TV to FOX Weather could quickly grow his following even more.
“I don’t know how he did it, but it was genius,” FOX Weather meteorologist Craig Herrera told Fox News Digital.
Herrera, who is Kosir’s new colleague at the streaming service, was a fan of The Dancing Weatherman before they ever met. He got to see Kosir’s ability to connect with people firsthand during a recent promotional shoot outside FOX Weather’s New York City headquarters.
“Somebody was on his bike making a delivery, in the bike … slammed on the brakes, stopped his bike, pulled his camera out and says, ‘Hey Nick,’ and start smiling and waving,” Herrera said. “Nick was like, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ He was just so friendly to the guy, and the guy gets his picture, pops on his bike and then takes off again. It was so cool, obviously this guy loves Nick and he smiles when he sees these videos.”
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FOX Weather meteorologist Ian Oliver is another one of Kosir’s new colleagues who knew all about The Dancing Weatherman before they became colleagues.
“I knew of Nick, but I had never met him before and I wondered, what he would be like in real life because, you know, an Instagram feed isn’t a real thing,” Oliver told FOX News Digital. “Then I meet him and he’s like my best friend in this place, he’s hilarious. So it’s been really cool to, you know, actually develop a friendship here over the last month.”
While Kosir is serious about his main career as a meteorologist and anchor for the brand new FOX Weather streaming service, his role on the platform leaves some room for a crossover. Kosir hosts “FOX Weather Wild” at 9 p.m. ET, which he described as a cross between a late-night talk show mixed with MTV’s “Ridiculousness” and a standard weather broadcast. He even unveiled his latest dance video on the show’s premiere episode before posting it to his social media platforms.
“They’ll be some dancing there, but, you know, it’s like any of these other people that you see on TikTok, there are professional nurses, lawyers, realtors, there are other news people that have a job to do during the day, and they take it seriously, and that’s what they’re doing 99 percent of the time. But every once and a while it’s nice to have a little fun and not take yourself so seriously at work,” Kosir said. “That’s kind of where I’m coming from.”
Kosir said he “obviously won’t be dancing” when severe weather is in the forecast, but if the coast is clear anything is possible.
The FOX Weather app features streaming broadcasts, cutting-edge 3D radar and the unprecedented FOX FutureView, a tool that allows users to plan several months ahead by keeping track of advanced weather forecasts.
“You know, it’s live programming right there on your phone. It’s so cool,” Kosir said. “I like other things like the NFL Sunday ticket because I can watch my favorite sports team anywhere I am, you know, just right on my own phone, and that’s what we’re doing here with Fox Weather.”
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FOX Weather also uses new technology to deliver severe weather alerts for tornadoes, thunderstorms, flooding, and other weather conditions that will help keep users safe and informed. The ad-supported service is free for users.
“It’s not appointment television … We’ll just be right there in your pocket, on your phone. It’s always good to have a meteorologist break down the weather forecast. Every single app can be accurate when you talk about current temperatures but where the discrepancy comes from is long-range forecasts,” Kosir said. “You can’t necessarily rely on other apps for very accurate, long-range forecasts, but you know you need that human interpretation and we’re going to be there 24/7 to give you that human interpretation.”
FOX Weather is available at foxweather.com and through the FOX Weather app for iOS and Android. FOX Weather is also available on Internet-connected TVs via FOX NOW and the FOX News app.
Source: www.foxnews.com