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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So, did she ever contact the Romney's directly? It's so EASY to apologize to a camera or a twitter account. How about to the person you disrespected in the first place?
Have I missed something? The pink and blue gender delineation blares wholesome/traditional and seems more comment worthy than the race angle.
@Tommy G, heinous act? You've been listening to faux news or the oxyaddict who keeps losing radio stations?
Nobody died and the romneys don't do anything that doesn't have an under current of what's to come,
I am happy that the child will have a good life (I hope better than their ride on the roof dog) but these people don't do anything without a consequence.
So members of the GOP can insult and harass anyone they like and they're treated like what they say is the Gospel, yet when anyone says anything about anyone in the GOP, then they claim "Attack!"
We saw that happen time and again with Sarah Palin, remember? She dished it out, but she couldn't take it.
Please move on to something news worthy. This dribble is getting very, very old.
She cried... that's fine, she is sorry and that's fine too... BUT what about an environment that fosters this kind of behaviour? MSNBC should be on the hook as well... But that will never happen!
bla bla bla! Lets pretend we're at war and cover a real story
Boo boo, the Romney's should get a sense of humor, it was hilarious!!
Oh please, cry me a river. No one has ever been hurt by these stupid comments. If what this idiot upsets you, don't listen to her any more. If you don't listen to her any way, then why are you offended? I could care less what idiots like her, or Rush Limbaugh say ever because I do not listen to them, nor do their words revolve around my world. Some of you need to remember your lessons from kindergarten. . . if some one says something you don't like, ignore them and maybe they will go away.
Romney is a class act and no doubt he accepted the apology, but as for MSNBC it is a mean nastly little network of hate mongers and liars.
that picture is funny as hell…….there sits mitt the republican with his token tiny bro……….
Too little, too late. Obviously, she was being coerced to apologize by MSNBC to keep the public off their back. I love how liberals and African American's can speak racist comments and all is OK. Shameful.
Now if we could just believe that she meant it! I don't believe anything that this woman says or that comes out of her show!
Jeremy Vaile, to bad you did not have that vasectomy before you had those two kids.
On behalf of the New York Civil Rights Coalition, I offer the following comment in response to MSNBC-TV host Melissa Harris-Perry's "apology", given on her TV show this weekend, to Governor Mitt Romney, an apology for what she and her guest "comedians" said on her TV show last week about Governor Romney's (adopted) black grandchild.
"MSNBC TV hosts continue to see "race" in everything and "racism" everywhere except where they sit.
"The joking about the skin color of Mitt Romney's grandchild was not just "offensive", it was tasteless and crass, and Melissa Harris-Perry, who is the daughter of a black-white marriage, should have known better than this, at the very outset. Rather than stop the "comedians" from making "jokes" about Mitt Romney's black (adopted) grandchild, Harris-Perry egged them on and encouraged the tomfoolery. It was a demonstration of sheer ignorance and race-based idiocy.
"It is curious that the chieftains–the supposed grown-ups at MSNBC– such as Phil Griffin, MSNBC's president–haven't themselves spoken up about this latest outrage by an MSNBC host/TV personality. We need to ask the question of Harris-Perry and of other MSNBC personalities that was posed by attorney Joseph Welch so many years ago (in 1954, at the Army-McCarthy hearings) of Senator Joseph McCarthy: 'Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?'"
Michael Meyers, Executive Director, New York Civil Rights Coalition
Manhattan, New York
Oh she cried. Well let's forgive her now.
Why is it that black people continue to get so terribly upset over every and any comment made regarding their race, yet at the same time refer to themselves in terms & name calling that is awful. Freedom of speech is a privilege in this country. I do not like the reference made by this news anchor but she has the right to say it. Same for that duck dynasty idiot. Freedom of speech applies to everyone-not just those with whom you agree.
More fake outrage from perpetually oh so tender conservatives. You can always tell when something hits close to home, something that they think might expose their true hearts, by the level of crocodile tears and phony outrage that they are able to work up. Perhaps one of you offended ones can tell me exactly how what was said could possibly hurt someone. That "one thing is not like the others"? pretty obvious. That it reflects GOP diversity? Undeniable. That the child may marry so and so? Oh the horror! So, once again, what is it that was the great insult?
Typical sick liberals judging the right to have a large family. Talk about being controlling, you're just like the Prez in the WH. If someone chooses to have 3 or more children, and they have the means to provide for them w/o the help of the taxpayers, what business is it of yours?????
I don't like the man but his grandkids are adorable.
Very Nice of you partialy brain dead people to blame it on Romney, if you had an ounce of compassion you wouldnt tolorate this sort of behavior from left or right, if you had even a few brain cells left from what ever drugs you get for free from the government you would realize BLAMING the victim isnt an argument its a distractor from the facts, all too often when a logical argument can't be made it turns to blaming the victim ! Since god doesnt punish, I can only hope KARMA when it happens to you those same simple minded individuals will blame you for what ever was done to you...
The person that blamed Romney because he ships jobs to another Country (another simple mind in a complex world) must have not reviewed the Forbes 400 richest people in america 348 are democrates/liberals and 52 conservatives, or the fact that over the last five years they have had nearly 200% increases over the previous eight years under a republican... Who is really helping the rich get richer – thats right its your PAL Obama, so save your... I am saving the planet and all the homeless people with-out health care / for people who cant read or like to make up numbers (like the leftists/socialist simple minded democrates)
.Their adoption of an African child seems a bit political, insincere and too photoshopped. There's nothing he can do to restore credibility after outsourcing all those jobs overseas and investing his miliions in foreign bank accounts so he doesn't have to pay taxes. . By the way, how are they gonna get an african in an all-white mormon church on Sundays ?
Twenty years ago, the world had about 1.1 billion Muslims. Twenty years from now, it will have about twice as many – and they'll represent more than a quarter of all people on earth. The Muslim share of the global population will rise primarily because of their relatively high birth rate, the large number of Muslims of childbearing age, and an increase in life expectancy in Muslim-majority countries.
At the same time, the ultimate goal of the Church of Latter Day Saints, as stated publicly by its early leaders Joseph Smith and Brigham Young (but not mentioned so publicly by more recent Mormon leaders), is to establish the Mormon Kingdom of God in America,and to govern the world as God's appointed representatives.
I guess the Mormon Romney's are trying to out-birth the Muslims.
This is only one of the true racists at MSNBC, and these apologies are nothing but forced to save her job. She should fired and left out on the street where she came from.
What did she say that is offensive? I don't care if she's on the left or right, her comments don't seem at all offensive to me. Too many people told to feel angry by the media or politicians. Wow, they're doing a good job when so many people are lead to anger over nothing. Do these comments truly offend you? You may need to get a hobby. I feel the same way about the Duck Dynasty guy, who cares what he says? I haven't actually seen that show, but that guy doesn't really seem like he's putting himself out there as a liberal. Everyone needs to calm down and get a life.