Early life and education
Scotto was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She attended Visitation Academy, a Catholic elementary school in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, then the Packer Collegiate Institute, from which she graduated in 1976.1 She went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1980.1
Her family background is notable within New York civic and social history. Her father, Anthony Scotto (1934-2021), was a prominent labor leader and president of the International Longshoremen's Association Local 1814 who was convicted of racketeering in 1979;4 her mother Marion Scotto is the daughter of labor leader Anthony Anastasio.4 Despite that backdrop, Rosanna Scotto built her journalism career entirely on her own credentials, and her mother Marion went on to co-found Fresco by Scotto, the family restaurant that Rosanna later helped grow into a Midtown institution.5
Career
Scotto began her television career in Atlanta at WTBS, Ted Turner's UHF station, working as a reporter and associate producer on local programming.2 She returned to New York in 1982 to join WABC-TV's Good Morning New York as a reporter.1 That program eventually evolved into what became Live with Regis and Kathie Lee; Scotto also reported for WABC's Eyewitness News before making the move to Fox.2
She joined WNYW Fox 5 in 1986, initially as a weekend anchor and reporter.2 By 1990 she had become the station's lead female news anchor, anchoring the 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts alongside Ernie Anastos for many years.1 In 2008, Fox 5 promoted her to co-host of Good Day New York, the flagship morning program. She co-hosted the show with Greg Kelly from 2008 until Kelly's departure from the station in September 2017, then with Lori Stokes from 2017 through 2021, and has continued in the role since.1
Over her Fox 5 tenure Scotto has covered major tristate stories and national breaking news. Notable assignments include the Preppie Murder Trial in the late 1980s and the Martin Tankleff case, in which her sustained reporting helped draw attention to Tankleff's claims of wrongful conviction and contributed to the process that ultimately led to a new trial. She has secured high-profile exclusive interviews throughout her career.
In recognition of her work, Scotto has won multiple Emmy Awards for her anchoring on Fox 5 News at 10 and Good Day New York, as well as the 1995 New York State Associated Press First Place Award for her report "New York Survival Guide" and three additional Associated Press First Place Awards.2 She received honorary doctorates from Mount St. Mary College in 2014 and from St. John's University.3 In 2019, she was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame.3
Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)
In Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, Scotto appears as herself under the on-screen character designation Fox 5 News Anchor #2, alongside her real-life Fox 5 colleague Greg Kelly as Fox 5 News Anchor #1.1 The pair appears in two chapters of the film. In Chapter 12, Fox 5 News covers the "Erin Gilbert Altercation," the incident in which Erin Gilbert is seen punching out blogger Chris Gethard. The broadcast includes interviews with Dean Harold Filmore and Dean Thomas Shanks, both of whom distance themselves from Erin; Shanks uses the interview to plug his new album. It is Jillian Holtzmann who first notices the Fox 5 News segment on television. In Chapter 16, following the Ghostbusters' defeat of Rowan North and the aftermath in Times Square, Fox 5 News Anchor #2 (Scotto) states that authorities are still trying to understand what happened across the city, while Anchor #1 (Kelly) notes that he personally witnessed ghost pilgrims.
The casting reflected the film's deliberate strategy of deploying real New York media personalities for its broadcast news sequences, lending the paranormal chaos an air of authentic local news credibility. Pat Kiernan of NY1 News also appeared in the film in a similar cameo capacity. At the time of filming, Scotto and Kelly were the anchors of Good Day New York together. Kelly left Fox 5 on September 29, 2017, more than a year after the film's release.
Personal life
Scotto married attorney Louis Ruggiero in 1986.1 They have two children: a son, LJ, and a daughter, Jenna.1 The family is closely involved in operating Fresco by Scotto, the Tuscan restaurant her mother Marion Scotto founded in Midtown Manhattan in 1993.5 Rosanna serves as a co-owner alongside her siblings and her children, who have taken on active roles in running the restaurant.5
References
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
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"Rosanna Scotto," Wikipedia, accessed June 13, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosanna_Scotto.
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"Rosanna Scotto," FOX 5 New York staff biography, https://www.fox5ny.com/person/s/rosanna-scotto (accessed June 13, 2026).
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"Rosanna Scotto: 2019 Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame," Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame (2019), https://www.bchalloffame.com/2019/rosanna-scotto (accessed June 13, 2026).
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"Anthony Scotto," Wikipedia, accessed June 13, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Scotto.
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CityBiz, "Cherished NYC Restaurant, Fresco by Scotto, to Extend Successful 32-Year Run at Jack Resnick & Sons' 485 Madison Avenue" (2025), https://www.citybiz.co/article/744963/cherished-nyc-restaurant-fresco-by-scotto-to-extend-successful-32-year-run-at-jack-resnick-sons-485-madison-avenue (accessed June 13, 2026).
