Los Angeles-based sports reporter Michael J. Duarte, who shares the same name as the popular social media influencer and food blogger Michael Duarte, drew criticism from netizens after an insensitive response to the death of the internet personality. Michael J. Duarte, who, according to his LinkedIn profile, works as a sports writer and reporter for NBC LA, responded to TMZ's obituary post about the late food blogger with just an emoji commonly used to express "mind blown."Following the NBC LA sports reporter's reaction to the news of food influencer Michael Duarte's death, the internet was quick to respond and criticize the sports journalist's reaction. While a few took his response lightly and joked about it, the others were quite serious about his reaction. Most netizens criticized Michael J. Duarte for his insensitive reaction, making it clear that joking about a dead person is not something that is dignified, and it should not be entertained.Michael J. Duarte, who is currently working for NBC LA as a sports reporter and journalist, was brought up in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of California, from which he graduated. While studying at the university, he also won the Corwin Writing Award and the Paul Lazarus Scholarship Award.He completed his post-graduation from the University of Southern California. Duarte is also a recipient of awards for his journalistic work. He is currently covering the LA Rams, LA Lakers, LA Dodgers, and USC Trojans.Food influencer Michael Duarte passes away after a "horrible incident"Michael Duarte, with close to a million followers, had created quite a huge fan following on Instagram. While his official Instagram handle is called FoodWithBareHands, the late food influencer also had links with the brand Bear Mountain BBQ. According to a GoFundMe page, which is supporting and looking out for his family, it reported that Michael Duarte died after a "horrible incident" on November 8, 2025.As cited by Entertainment Weekly, the GoFundMe website, while mentioning his wife, Jessica, and his 6-year-old daughter, Oakley, noted:"Michael's death occurred just 3 short days after he and his wife celebrated their 9 year wedding anniversary."The brand Bear Mountain BBQ paid tribute to Michael Duarte in a joint post on Instagram and wrote:"From the very beginning, Michael was part of the Bear Mountain BBQ story — not just behind the camera, but in the heart of our community. He had a rare gift for capturing the true spirit of BBQ: the smoke, the stories, the laughter, and the love for good food that brings people together."The tribute post further added:"There’s no replacing someone like Michael. His loss leaves a space that can never be filled, but his spirit, his energy, his passion and his creativity will always be part of us."Check out the Instagram tribute post below: View this post on Instagram Instagram Post