Mike Tirico: People shouldn't assume I'm black, my parents are white

quote:

---

Michael Todd Tirico grew up in a middle-class Italian-American family in Queens, N.Y. He was an only child raised by his mother, Maria Tirico, after his father, Donald, left when he was four. He’s since lost all contact with his father’s side of the family.

According to a 1990 profile of Tirico in the Syracuse Post-Standard, “because of his dark skin and ethnic features, Tirico says, most people assume he’s black. But he’s seen pictures of his father, his father’s mother, and his father’s sister, all of whom are white.” “The only contact I had growing up was with my mom’s side of the family,” Tirico told the paper. “And they are all as white as the refrigerator I’m standing in front of right now.” He further explained, “I know the story sounds like a lot of bull, but it’s the truth. Does it matter to me? Yeah. I’d like to find out the truth at some point, so I can answer questions for my kids. But me? I’m living, I’m working, I’m leading an upstanding life. I don’t worry about it.”

---