Victor Williams, the WDIV-TV (Channel 4) reporter who went viral for his skateboarding skills, is leaving Detroit to return to his hometown of Atlanta.
Local 4 New anchor Ty Steele called it “bittersweet news” when Williams announced his departure on the air Friday.
“It’s been great being here the last six years, but my journey has come to an end. I’ll be heading to Atlanta, Georgia, back home to be closer to my dad,” Williams said.
“I’ll be starting at WANF as a weekend anchor there and a reporter. So thank everyone that made this journey here special, everyone watching at home, people at the skate parks all throughout the entire city. Thank you all, seriously.”
WDIV anchor Kimberly Gill told Williams, “We’ll miss you, Victor, and we wish you well. There’s nothing like being close to family.”
Four years ago, Williams’ story for WDIV about the new skate park at the city’s Chandler Park went viral, eventually earning millions of views online. In it, Williams did a live standup — er, make that a live rolling shot — while expertly riding a skateboard.
It was such attention-getting TV that skateboarding legend Tony Hawk posted the segment on his Facebook page, where it got 1.6 million views. Hawk headlined it: “Breaking news: reporter shreds.”
The clip of Williams also made NBC’s New Year’s Eve special, “2021: It’s Toast.”
In June 2022, Williams got to meet the skateboarding icon and skated side by side with Hawk at the official grand opening of the Chandler Park skatepark.
Williams has been with Local 4 News since 2019. Prior to that, he worked for WOIO-TV in Cleveland, WLOX-TV Biloxi, Mississippi and WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tennessee. The Georgia Highlands College alum also was an intern for WSB-TV News in Atlanta.
His biography for WDIV states that “when Victor’s not working, you’ll probably find him skateboarding — his hobby for nearly two decades.”
On Instagram, Williams posted a goodbye to the station, writing: “Working at WDIV / Local 4 has been so awesome! I appreciate the station giving me the opportunity to grow with a team carrying such a rich legacy. I’ve learned so much!”
And he bid farewell to “the Detroit Skateboarding Community — WHICH IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD!!!! I love the fact that skateparks are all over the place, literally just miles apart … Even still, that Detroit Grit remains! Watching these guys make killer DIY spots over time has truly been special.”
Wrote Williams in conclusion, “Detroit, you will always be part of my story!”
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: WDIV-TV’s Victor Williams leaving Detroit for new job in hometown of Atlanta
Reporting by Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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