Mary Nicosia and her husband, Dr. Nicholas Nicosia, were recently chastised for having an alleged racist Juneteenth spoof party at their 9,000 sq. ft. East Avenue home on July 7. The yard decorations included Juneteenth-themed placards and cardboard cutouts of President Donald Trump, while the menu included Kentucky Fried Chicken and Hennessy cognac. After African-American fireman, Jerrod Jones filed a lawsuit against the city and the fire department after his supervisor, Capt. Jeffrey Krywy, escorted him to the event while he was on duty, the party was widely denounced.
Krywy was slated to be fired for his actions, but he retired before the inquiry could be completed. The Police Department also said that any officers who attended the celebration will face disciplinary action. In the midst of the growing issue, Mary Nicosia and her husband held a news conference at the Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Pittsford to clear their identities. Although the former defended the couple, claiming that the party was not meant to be racist, Nicosia admitted to making racist remarks on Twitter in the past.
Everything you need to know about Mary Nicosia.
Mary Nicosia is a real estate agent and the former development vice president of The Landmark Society of Western New York. She is the wife of Dr. Nicholas Nicosia, vice chairman of the Highland Hospital board of directors and team dentist for the Rochester Americans hockey club. The Nicosias are one of Rochester’s most well-known couples and are well-known for their high status. According to property records, the couple paid $650,000 for their East Avenue house and moved there in 2000.
In a letter to the editor of the Democrat and Chronicle over a year later, Mary Nicosia denounced the situation in the city. She stated:
“My husband and I have opted to raise our children in Rochester while also restoring a historic property on East Avenue.” We appreciate city life and everything it has to offer, but our pals in suburban development think we’re nuts.”
Nicosia went on:
“Crime, the deplorable status of the educational system, taxation, and now the planned tax hike.” “I’m starting to believe our pals are correct.”
Mary Nicosia and her husband were apparently involved with a number of powerful organizations and had proven their support for professional sports teams as well as political initiatives. According to reports, the couple often donated to both Democratic and Republican politicians.
They also gave $1,131 to Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign and $497 to the Make America Great Again political action group, according to public records. They also contributed to the campaigns of Republican state Senator Len Morell and Republican City Council candidate Marcus C. Williams.
More recently, the pair made headlines for having a Juneteenth mock party at their home, which drew widespread condemnation for being racially insensitive. Soon later, it was uncovered that Nicosia had a Twitter account and sent multiple racist tweets on the platform.
Following the uproar, the Landmark Society of Western New York deleted Mary Nicosia’s bio from their website and suspended her from her position. According to the organization’s official statement:
“We were horrified and dismayed to read of the very serious accusations about a party held at the Nicosia property in July… The claims, as stated, are incompatible with our organization’s basic beliefs.”
Meanwhile, political leaders such as Mayor Malik Evans and Rachel Barnhart have said that Nicosia and her husband’s donations to their funds would be returned. Republican La’Ron Singletary said he would no longer accept contributions from the pair.
Following the Juneteenth party scandal, Mary Nicosia scheduled a news conference with her husband to deny charges that her gathering was racially insensitive:
“I’m here to defend myself against baseless accusations of racism.”
The mother-of-two, on the other hand, admitted to using a social media account to post racist comments on Twitter:
“In full candor, I do have a Twitter parody account that works under the guise of a character — and under that identity, I have made openly racist statements.”
Mary Nicosia expanded on her points, saying:
“That’s how Twitter culture works.” It’s part of its allure. I don’t want to say charm, but it allows you to be someone you aren’t in terms of persona.”
She subsequently apologized to the African American community and everyone else she had offended with her behavior:
“I’d also want to apologize to the African American community and other individuals in the community who I may have harmed or insulted by doing what I was doing on Twitter for these statements.”
The lady went on to say that she grew up in East Cleveland’s “very diverse neighborhood” and that she was “not a racist person.” She did, however, hold herself responsible for her actions:
“I consider myself responsible. I’m embarrassed. It wasn’t easy for me to go up here and tell you this. And I beg that you accept my heartfelt apologies.”
Nicosia also said that she had considered her behavior and chose to disassociate herself from her racist online persona:
“Over the course of the previous 12 trying days, I’ve learned a lot.” And I’ve learned that posting a statement on Twitter behind a pseudonym is just as inappropriate and hurtful as saying it directly to someone in the room. And I believe that is a lesson learned for me, and I believe others may benefit from it.”
While Mary Nicosia did not reveal the name of her Twitter account, numerous people speculated that she went by the handle @HoHoHomeBoyRoc and had various nicknames such as “Colonel Nathaniel Sanders” with a profile photo of “Smilin’ Sam from Alabam’ The Salted Peanut Man.”
According to reports, the Twitter account has been active since November 2021 and has ridiculed African American individuals online, including politicians, elected officials, and journalists, often adopting Black Vernacular English.
Twitter chastises Mary Nicosia over the racism scandal
Several social media users were upset by Mary Nicosia’s nasty Twitter account and she claimed racially insensitive Juneteenth mock party. Many people flocked to Twitter to protest her online behavior as well as the alleged racially insensitive event:
Mary Nicosia: I’m not racist… I just play one on Twitter 🤣
— StevieSaidFuckTheCold (@2020istrash2020) August 23, 2022
Racism is “not a culture in my home,” says Mary Nicosia, right after conceding that the piggybank shown here in her Twitter account is a decoration in their home. (screengrab by @GinoFanelli) pic.twitter.com/F4M2HJszFX
— Justin Murphy (@CitizenMurphy) August 23, 2022
Mary Nicosia’s lawyer, Corey Hogan, acknowledged that his client’s Twitter account was “racist, wrong, and ugly,” but maintained that the lady “doesn’t live her life” or “treats other human beings” like her online character.
