MSNBC host offers tearful apology to Romneys
Updated 1:49 p.m., 1/4/2014
(CNN) - MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry made a tearful apology to Mitt Romney’s family on her show Saturday, after she and a panel poked fun at a photo of the former Republican presidential candidate with his wife and 21 grandchildren by zeroing in on his adopted African-American grandson.
"Whatever the intent was, the reality is that the segment proceeded in a way that was offensive, and showing the photo in that context, of that segment, was poor judgment. So without reservation or qualification, I apologize to the Romney family," said the anchor at the open of her show, "Melissa Harris-Perry."
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Harris-Perry became emotional as she went on to apologize to all "other families formed through transracial adoption," saying, "I am deeply sorry that we suggested that interracial families are in any way funny or deserving of ridicule."
She highlighted her own interracial background, as the daughter of an African-American man and a white Mormon woman. But, she said, families are always "off limits," and the Romneys' grandchildren should never have been a topic of discussion.
"Adults who enter into public life implicitly consent to having less privacy. But their families, and especially their children, should not be treated callously or thoughtlessly. My intention was not malicious, but I broke the ground rule that families are off limits, and for that I am sorry," she said.
Harris-Perry first apologized on Twitter and MSNBC's website Tuesday, offering a similar mea culpa "without reservation or qualification."
During the segment last Sunday, Harris-Perry asked a panel to come up with a caption for the Romney family photo, and two panelists made jokes about the infant standing out.
Actress Pia Glenn began singing lines from the song popularized by Sesame Street, "One of These Things Is Not Like the Others." Comedian Dean Obeidallah said the picture "really sums up the diversity of the Republican Party."
Obeidallah appears frequently on CNN and writes a regular opinion column for CNN.com.
Harris-Perry described the baby as "gorgeous" and joked that in 2040 he would marry North West, the daughter of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.
"Can you imagine Mitt Romney and Kanye West as in-laws?" she said, to laughs.
Criticism was swift across social media, with prominent Republicans from Sarah Palin to former Sen. Scott Brown weighing in.
A spokeswoman for Romney told CNN he was on a family vacation this week and unavailable for comment. On Sunday, Romney will appear on “Fox News Sunday,” where he is likely to be asked about the episode.
MSNBC has been in some hot water recently after a handful of their hosts have made controversial comments. Alec Baldwin and the network parted ways in November after his homophobic outburst against photographers, and Martin Bashir resigned in December for his suggestion that Sarah Palin deserved graphic punishment for comparing U.S. foreign debt to slavery.
–CNN's Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
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Two things the left in media can no longer hide, because of omnipresent and varied communication modes: Their behaviour and black crime. The secrets are out and they are ugly.
Progressives are just ugly as are their lame supporters
Those racist comments could of easily been made of the msnbc panel. MSNBC has no diversity, unlike Fox whom they alway bash, they only have left wing propaganda. Every segment of every show on Fox has someone from the left and right giving comment about whatever the topic is. Every segment of every show on MSNBC is all left wing and all they do is bash conservatives. Like many on these boards. They only accept a world threw their rose colored glasses and bash anyone who does not think exactly like themselves. Now CNN will not post this comment because they hate any views which are not conservative, but they at least give conservatives on their program a voice.
OK, she was wrong. Half halfheartedly admitted it via Twitter, and now has apologized to the entire Romney family on national television. I forgive her now, can't we all? Time to move on.
Unless, of course, Jesse Jackson sticks his nose in this one too. Wouldn't surprise me.
That is so dishonest.
She should lose her job..........for being a black racist.
Oh please. The comments by the comedians were funny. Let's save our outrage for real incidents, of which there are many.
Signed,
-someone adopting a baby of a different race
There's some quality acting.
She teared up because she knew she might lose her job like the other bigoted hosts on MSNBC who have been canned in the last few months.
For someone like MHP to go on TV every week championing minorities and children . . . then creating a comedy segment about a minority in Romney's family is pretty telling.
She acted last week like Romney made his kid adopt a little black baby for political gain or something.
what else is new on msnbc? who watches this fiasco really? i don't condone fox news either, both are a complete jokes, but msnbc is just unimaginable.
So everyone who was outraged at A&E over duck dynasty will be standing up for her freedom of speech correct.
MSNBC nuts are forced to apologize, but the Foxnews nuts , when they run their mouths, we get told they're just entertainers.
Both channels are for morons, it is what it is.
Freedom of Speech. I get insulted daily and...
Racist humor proved to be no good for Perry!!!
I forgive.
she's shown significant humility, why does white society ask a minority to pay more for a lessor offense than a white person who have done and said far worse and then double-down on it? then, while calling her derogatory names you suggest SHE is racist??? you have no handle at all on the meaning of the word...
conservatives on air HAVE NEVER apologized or said they were wrong, it's always, "i was taken out of context..." etc.
so cast your stones at "liberals" but once again fail to see your own faults. typical self-absorbed anti-social behavior.
I hope that MSNBC and all the networks put in strict rules about what is appropriate and what is not and that they also set out the exact punishment for such violations. This suggestion sounds juvenile, but after watching the MSNBC panel talk last week about the Romney family picture and the child, it reminded me of a bunch of high school jocks with a cheerleader or two laughing and mocking other students in lunch hall.
Nothing as racist and degrading of those who do not agree with them as a liberal.
Racism is alive and well in the US, From ALL sides
Thank you Melissa – your sincere apology was well received by this listener and appreciated. No one is perfect we all make mistakes and if you read or hear anything otherwise please know that the majority of Americans in this country are good people who also care.
The delightful little girl to his right going in for a hug is showing way more maturity and what love and a family is all about – more so than the journalist, actress and comedian.
Steve
Very sad how divided our country has become. The time is coming when conservatives will move to red states and liberals will move to blue states and all states will fight with Washington and each other. I don't see how any of this ends well for us....
If it does come to this the liberals will have no food and no gas.
I agree that families should be off-limits. But, having said that, I have to wonder why so many family members are used as props in campaign photos. Politicians should not have it both ways.
All the people defending MHP know damn well if she were white she would have been fired immediately and never even given the opportunity to issue an insincere apology in an attempt to save her job. Everyone know what she exactly what she meant, people aren't stupid, they saw her original comment.
The Boston Globe, a deranged liberal paper, has yet to even mention this issue in their paper! I wonder why?
I don't think her tears were for the Romneys. I believe they were for other people that she may know or who wrote her who also adopted kids of a different race. This also accounts for the delay in a sincere apology.
This wouldn't have happened without a blinding hatred of conservatives. That is what clouded her judgment.
She should be fired!!! All of them should! When will people stop looking at the color of skin. Shameful!!