From Page Six to Television and Radio, Flo Anthony Spent Four Decades Breaking Barriers and Covering Some of Entertainment’s Biggest Names
Florence “Flo” Anthony, the pioneering entertainment journalist whose reporting and television presence made her one of the most recognizable Black women in celebrity media, died Aug. 6 after battling cancer. She was 74.
Anthony’s death was confirmed to the New York Amsterdam News, where she had been a longtime columnist, by Jack Hirsch, biographer of her husband, Olympic and professional boxing champion Michael Spinks.
Her career stretched across newspapers, magazines, television and radio, placing Anthony inside entertainment journalism during an era when few Black women were given prominent roles covering celebrity culture.
Flo Anthony Broke Barriers in New York Media
Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1952, Anthony entered journalism through the boxing world.
She worked as a publicist for some of the sport’s biggest names, including Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes and Spinks.
Anthony joined the New York Post in 1986 as an agate clerk with hopes of becoming a sports reporter. Instead, editors eventually moved her into entertainment — a shift that would help define her career.
Anthony later recalled going from being the first African American woman in the newspaper’s sports department to the first African American woman in its entertainment department. She ultimately became the first woman on staff in the department that includes the Post’s famed Page Six celebrity column.
The move helped put Anthony at the center of New York’s celebrity reporting scene.
From Page Six to National Television
Anthony’s reach expanded beyond newspapers as celebrity news became a larger part of American television.
She became a regular contributor and occasional co-host on E!’s “The Gossip Show,” appearing throughout the program’s run from 1993 to 1998.
Anthony also appeared on television programs hosted by Joan Rivers, Maury Povich, Sally Jessy Raphael and Geraldo Rivera. Black television audiences would later recognize her as a frequent contributor to TV One programs including “Unsung” and “Life After.”
Her “Go with the Flo” column launched in the New York Amsterdam News in the early 2000s and eventually entered syndication while Anthony also delivered entertainment reports on national radio.
She served as publisher and editor-in-chief of Black Noir magazine, edited Black Elegance and authored several novels.
Throughout her career, Anthony remained outspoken about what she believed separated journalism from simply repeating information produced elsewhere. She emphasized researching stories, talking directly with sources and producing original reporting.
Anthony began dating Spinks in 1987 while he was the IBF heavyweight champion. The couple married earlier this year.
Information about additional survivors and memorial services was not immediately available.
