Morning Joe‘s Mika Brzezinski Issues On-Air Apology for Homophobic Slur: ‘It Was a Terrible Choice of Words’
Mika Brzezinski issued an on-air apology on Friday for what many considered a homophobic slur used to describe Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The Morning Joe cohost came under fire on Wednesday following a segment discussing Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s role in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. While the CIA has concluded that MBS ordered the killing, President Trump and Pompeo are among those taking the Saudi prince at his word. Brzezinski’s controversial remark was made in response to Pompeo’s appearance on Fox News, during which he repeatedly dodged questions about MBS.
“Is that a patriot speaking, or a wannabe dictator’s butt boy?” Brzezinski asked during Wednesday’s show. “Dead serious, I’m asking. Are these the words of a patriot?”
The comment drew immediate flack online, and the MSNBC anchor acknowledged her “SUPER BAD choice of words” within minutes of the broadcast. She then took the following day off for a family issue, before returning to work on Friday and issuing the following apology:
“I was off yesterday for a family matter… but I wanted to address a term that I used on this show on Wednesday that was vulgar,” she said. “I knew it right away, and I tweeted that it was a terrible choice of words and that I was sorry. But please allow me to say this face to face: The term is crass and offensive and I apologize to everyone, especially the LGBTQ community and to my colleagues, for using it.
“It was a mistake,” Brzezinski continued. “My father would have found it so unbecoming and disrespectful and he would have told me. I will work hard to be better. But I just wanted to say, on camera, looking viewers straight in the eye, I am really, really sorry.”
Watch Brzezinski’s on-air apology below, then hit the comments with your reactions.
OMG It is was not a slur. I’m a gay man, it is not a slur. The only people that are offended are the ones who want to deny service to gay people.
slur or not. It’s completely inappropriate language for a professional to use on camera.
Stop clutching your pearls. If you are more offended by that than the current administration covering up for a murderous Saudi regime, you should re-check your priorities.
While the term is not the most offensive phrase ever said, it is offensive. She apologized quickly and credibly so we can a move on. The Pres making inappropriate statements doesn’t give permission for others to use bad statements. How warped someone must be to think that is a justification. The youngest of children know two wrongs don’t make a right,
I’m a gay man too, and while I agree it’s not a slur exactly, it’s totally inappropriate and offensive. Like those homophobic jokes about prison rape, it equates homosexuals as being subservient/less than/deserving of violence. Her comment is not harmless, thus inappropriate and dangerous.
And I am a gay man as well, yet I laughed when she said because it seemed appropriate for the men she was talking about.
truth.
lol typical lib hypocrisy
As a gay man I found her statement to be both comical, and effective in making her point. Society has to stop being so goddamn sensitive. Not everything has to be offensive.
I am a gay man also and it was a slur with the context and time she said it.
Proof only certain people can make such statements on live TV and get to keep there Job
People make mistakes; hers was a genuine mistake and her apology was also genuine. She hasn’t made a career out of slurs and hatred.
Lib hypocrisy at work as always
I mean, there are people who have said (and done) worse who do still have jobs, too (Laura Ingraham, anyone?), so…
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That said, I’m not going to be all “Everyone makes mistakes”, because yeah, it was a dumb thing to say. I remember Colbert getting criticized for making a similar type of comment about Trump and Putin…last year, I think it was, so one would think that any news people who heard about that story would keep that in mind and not risk making the same type of comment. I understand people calling her out on it, and rightly so. Even if one didn’t find that comment offensive, it’s an unprofessional way to discuss such topics (at least Colbert had the excuse of being a comedian instead of a news pundit).
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But others do have a point here that she doesn’t have a long history of these kinds of comments, the way others who’ve been fired do (at least, not that I’m aware of, anyway-I don’t follow her show or whatever social media she’s a part of). That tends to be the issue more than anything a lot of the time, having a pattern of those kinds of comments. Either that, or if their business has a policy regarding certain things you are and aren’t allowed to share on social media, if you violate that, that can lead to being fired, too. If she makes comments like this again, the punishment probably will be stronger, and rightly so.
Good, genuine apology. Everyone makes mistakes.
She is always saying the wrong thing because she is perfect and all around her are lower life forms!! She IS the full left mouth piece and slips her real feelings once in a while…then lies and cries her way out of it like all good leftest!!
I am not one who thinks careers should be ruined for saying an inappropriate/insensitive thing. Everyone makes mistakes and she has apologized. On that note the network should still reprimand her behavior publicly and suspend her to show that they do not tolerate her language.
And no one who voted for “grab them by the pussy” has any right to feign false outrage.
It was inappropriate and surprised it would be used in a serious news setting. But, she acknowledged and apologized and everyone can and should move on.
Everyone, at times, makes a bad choice of words from time to time.
I’m confused. Does a buttboy give or receive? I need to know this so I can properly explain it to my son later.
A butt boy is a “receiver “ in this case. Her true feelings on gay men is revealing. Liberal hypocrisy knows no bounds. Once again all the left needs to do is say they are sorrrrryyyy and all is forgiven. Could only imagine if she was a conservative, she’d be out of a job the next day.
Once again the right side feigns victim, but thanks for informing us that this is a slur- never heard of it. No, conservatives are out of a job when they continue to repeat the same actions. Get back to me if she continues to use inappropriate slurs.
Her getting to keep her job is just further proof that gay people don’t get respect. A person can say something racist and their lives and careers are ruined. Are there levels of offensiveness? Could someone like Adam Sandler or Norm MacDonald get away with that behavior? It seems the message is, liberals get a pass and Homophobia is ok.
Look I think that all of this political correctness is BS, but that being said, I think they’ll probably fire her for doing it. I say live and let live and don’t be so up tight all of the time, but yeah, she’s for sure gone. I don’t care one bit for her or her no count husband, but she asked for forgiveness, so forgive her. They will not, she’s gone.
I have stopped with this show. Mika is so very judgemental and has been getting worse every day. She would slam somebody to no end if they said anything similiar. Careful Ms.Brzezinski your true character is showing.
MSNBC???? No doubt the 200 people watching this program suffered enormous outrage.
Good thing she’s not a republican – she’d be looking for a job….
Mika is out if control, I can’t listen anymore to her, she needs to wah that potty mouth and start behaving like a journalist.
What a shame she gets by with the wagging of her pothetic tongue
Agreed. She has become unwatchable and very aware of herself. She should be fired not only for the comment but her inability to be unbiased.
She MUST be IMMEDIATELY FIRED! To do less will be a double standard.