Mike Tirico

Mike Tirico – 2017 Summer TCA Tour – Day 10 – NBC Press Tour – Arrivals – The Beverly Hilton Hotel, 9876 Wilshire Boulevard – Beverly Hills, CA, USA – Photo Credit: / PRPhotos.com

Birth Name: Michael Todd Tirico

Place of Birth: Queens, New York City, New York, U.S.

Date of Birth: December 13, 1966

Ethnicity:
*father – African-American
*mother – Italian

Mike Tirico is an American sportscaster.

He is the son of Maria (Fiordalisi) and Donald Tirico, who married in 1965. He is married to Debbie, with whom he has two children.

Mike’s mother is of entirely Italian descent. Most often, Michael had said that as far as he knows, he is white. In 2022, he described his father as African-American.

In 1991, he stated:

When people go around and say, ‘You are black’ – well, I don’t encourage it, but by the same token I don’t back off of it… If you want to call me that, that’s fine. But, you know, in my whole family, there’s nobody I know who is black.

In 1997, he added:

I can’t give you, ‘I’m one-eighth this, I’m one-eighth that, I’m one-quarter this,’ the way Tiger Woods can…

Mike’s maternal grandfather was Anthony Joseph Fiordalisi (the son of Frank G./S./F. Fiordalisi and Margaret Maresca). Anthony was born in New York, to Italian parents, from Calabria, with his father being from Cosenza.

Mike’s maternal grandmother was Antoinette Mary/Maria Malizia (the daughter of Vincenzo/Vincent Malizia and Maria/Mary Antonia Fiordalisi). Antoinette was born in New York, to Italian parents. Vincenzo was from Settefrati, Frosinone, Lazio.

Source: Mike’s maternal grandfather, Anthony Joseph Fiordalisi, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Mike’s maternal great-grandparents, Frank G./S./F. Fiordalisi and Margaret Maresca, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Mike’s maternal grandmother, Antoinette Mary/Maria Malizia, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

11 Responses

  1. jonasbttencourt says:

    A classic new york ”italian-but-not-really” guy lol there many obviusly biracial/mixed famous new yorkers who are said to be just one ethnicity(most of the times ”italian”), whats the matter with being mixed? And why people even bother him with this? Here in Brazil race mixing is so commun by now that pretty much nobody gives a fck, like Chevy Chase said : ”People who define themselves by their ancestry are like potatoes, the best parts of them are underground”.

    • italiano90 says:

      I have never met a New York Italian that looks like Mike Tirico. He would get an odd look if he told people like my family and friends that he is Italian.

  2. NOTREALLY says:

    “possibly other” XD

  3. angiemorton says:

    He looks black. His white part is very hidden. Sure, his skin color isn’t intensely black. But his phenotype is completely black.

  4. madman says:

    “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 and they are all as white as the refrigerator I’m standing in front of right now. 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.”

    His father is probably his stepfather, not his biological father.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.