Former Good Day L.A. Host Steve Edwards Silently Let Go After On-Air Sexual Assault Allegation
Los Angeles, CA–In 2012, clinical psychologist and advocate Dr. Ronda Hampton appeared on the morning show Good Day L.A. to update viewers on the disappearance and subsequent finding of the remains of Mitrice Richardson. During the interview, Hampton says the show’s host, Steve Edwards, made inappropriate gestures, comments and physical contact — while the cameras were rolling.
Hampton was on the program to advocate around Richardson — a young Black woman whose 2009 disappearance after being released from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Malibu/Lost Hills station sparked national outrage and years-long investigation. Her remains were found nearly 11 months later in a canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains.
“He kind of listened to the story and he began to get physical while the cameras were rolling. At the end of the show, he stuck his tongue out and he licked me from the base of my neck up through my cheek.
Read More: LA County Board of Supervisors re-establishes $20,000 reward in Mitrice Richardson case
Although Hampton immediately reported the incident to the show’s production and was assured something would be done — nothing ever happened.
“Many people were silent about what happened on set that day and some who were there defended him and accused me of overreacting,” Hampton said.
Fast-forward to 2017, at the height of the #MeToo movement, Hampton says she looked up what happened to Steve Edwards, only to find he was still employed on Good Day L.A. She contacted the network and insisted on justice.
“It’s not like it was a secret — I just never talked about it. They kept asking me what I wanted and I think they meant how much money I wanted. But I wanted justice. I said what I want is for him to be fired.”
In December 2017, Edwards was “no longer employed” by the station. Public reporting cited sources that his dismissal stemmed from sexual harassment allegations, though the station did not publicly release detailed reasons.
Read More: Steve Edwards Out At ‘Good Day LA’ After 20-Plus Years
Hampton says what haunts her most was the silence of the room and the lack of institutional accountability.
“I was really surprised by his behavior. He insulted co-anchor Robin Sax when she tried to intervene.”
For a woman whose presence on the set was rooted in advocating for someone who may have been raped, the alleged on-camera licking and comments felt especially insulting. Hampton revealed her story publicly this past weekend at the annual Standing 4 Black Girls March & Rally in Leimert Park, hosted by the Women’s Leadership Project.
At a time when the Richardson case continues to demand answers, the new disclosures about Edwards further underscore the vulnerability of Black voices brought into media spaces to speak truth — and the responsibility that media institutions have to protect them.
Hampton’s account raises serious questions about the network’s handling of the matter, workplace culture, and protections for guests who come on-air to do advocacy. Meanwhile, the Richardson case remains unresolved.
In 2024, The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors re-established and increased a reward for information in Richardson’s disappearance and death — raising the amount to $20,000. The family previously settled a lawsuit with the county in 2011 for approximately $900,000 over its handling of her release and subsequent missing-person investigation.
