Flo Anthony, Pioneering Black Page Six Journalist, Dies at 74

Flo Anthony, the barrier-breaking entertainment journalist who became the first African American woman to work on the New York Post’s Page Six desk, died August 6 after a battle with cancer. She was 74.

Anthony’s death was confirmed to multiple outlets by Jack Hirsch, biographer of her husband, Olympic and professional boxing champion Michael Spinks. The pair married in January 2026 after nearly four decades together.

Breaking Barriers at the Post

Anthony joined the New York Post in 1986 as an agate clerk in the sports department, becoming the first woman to work there.

She later moved to the entertainment department, where she became the first African American woman on staff and the first woman in the department that houses Page Six.

She also became the first Black woman to write for a supermarket tabloid with National Examiner’s “Eye on the Stars.” During her seven years at the Post, Anthony broke hundreds of celebrity stories involving figures including Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, Mike Tyson and Robin Givens.

In a 2013 interview with Urban Bridgez, she recalled the unorthodox path that led to her entertainment beat:

“After a while, they said, ‘You flunked the job,’ and I was like, ‘What do you mean I flunked?’ But it was the thing of being the agate clerk, you had to do a lot, and I would be there all night till like 5 in the morning.

So they was like, ‘Don’t worry, we see you have a master’s degree in fine arts. We’re moving you to the entertainment department.’ I went to the entertainment department kicking and screaming.

They said, ‘Look it’s a day job and pays more money, so why are you upset?’ So I went from the first African American woman in the sports department to the first African American woman in the entertainment department.”

From Boxing to Hollywood

Before her journalism career, Anthony worked as a publicist for some of the biggest names in boxing, including Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Butch Lewis, Mike McCallum and Michael Spinks. She served as Holmes’s publicist from 1982 to 1985, covering his reign as heavyweight champion.

A Howard University graduate, she began dating Spinks in 1987, and the two remained together until her death.

Television Career and Public Presence

Anthony’s television career made her a familiar face to millions. She was a regular contributor and occasional co-host on E!’s “The Gossip Show” across its entire run from 1993 to 1998.

She also appeared on programs hosted by Joan Rivers, Maury Povich, Sally Jessy Raphael, Geraldo Rivera, and Ricki Lake, and contributed to “Inside Edition,” “The Insider,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “E! True Hollywood Story,” “Most Shocking Celebrity Moments” and “Most Annoying People.”

She was a frequent contributor to TV One’s “Unsung,” “Unsung Hollywood” and “Life After.” As recently as 2025, she appeared in CNN’s three-part documentary series “American Prince: JFK Jr.”

Writing and Editorial Work

Anthony’s weekly column “Go with the Flo” launched in the New York Amsterdam News in the early 2000s and went into syndication. Through her company, Dottie Media Group, she recorded syndicated radio shows “Gossip on the Go With Flo” and “Flo Anthony’s Big Apple Buzz.”

She served as publisher and editor-in-chief of Black Noir magazine and editor-in-chief of Black Elegance magazine, and authored several novels.

Anthony’s four-decade career — spanning public relations, print, television, radio and publishing — left a mark on entertainment journalism that extended well beyond the stories she broke.

By opening doors at one of the industry’s most influential newsrooms and on some of its most-watched programs, she reshaped who gets to cover celebrity culture.

Sources

• Thegrio