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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The comments were dumb, but compare them to the blatantly racist comments from Fox News' Megan Kelly that were celebrated by the right. The real reason why the right wing got up in arms about these comments was because of the anchors pointing out the obvious when they compared this lonely black child in a white family to a black person in the GOP.
The GOP does not like having a spotlight shone on its racism, hence the faux outrage. This woman (or MSNBC, if they put her up to it) was foolish to play into their hands and give them what they want here.
She can't believe she is being called out on this typical senseless racist rant targeting a conservative. MSNBC = Liberal joke
Apology is not enough. Fire them.
This is a very touchy subject, fun for some causes lots of pain for others.
They should have more brains than to do this.
my goodness.. what ever happen to free speech?!?! So what if she was poking fun at the Romney's. Let's fire everyone that offends someone else. give me a break. Our country is made up of idiots, just go about your daily life.
I really couldn't care less. They made the jokes because they saw Romney as a fraud and the picture as a political ploy. Why don't they offer "tearful apologies: regarding their ignorant comments about Bradley Manning, Julian Assange, or Edward Snowden? Not PC enough for them I guess.
I'm so sick of the phony PC bull crap. Be tearful about something real for once!
Where are the appolgies from Pia Glenn and Dean Obeidallah.
A very hateful sick comment. Why all this hate? We do have a president who has demonstrated divisive politics which is so unnecessary. And his opponents family is targeted for bring into their family a black baby to love and nurture. This is horrible and anti American to the core.
I really couldn't care less. They made the jokes because they saw Romney as a fraud and the picture as a political ploy. Why don't they offer "tearful apologies: regarding their ignorant comments about Bradley Manning, Julian Assange, or Edward Snowden? Not PC enough for them I guess.
I'm so sick of the phony PC bull cr@p. Be tearful about something real for once!
Let's get to the real issue here, Melissa Perry benefits financially with her husband James Perry, making claims of racism and discrimination through her husband's organization GNO housing who has made at least a million dollars off of housing discrimination claims based on RACE. That is particularly hypocritical of her to allow, laugh at, include in her program, any commentary on this infant's race, regardless of the political inclinations of the adoptive family. Further, she has now VICTIMIZED this infant in INFAMY via the internet where this incident can forever be attached to this innocent baby's history. She should be fired, never should have gotten this job in the first place.
I guess rightwing nuts like limbaugh hannity and coulter never has made racists comments.
Melissa who?
They're going to run out of psychotics to put on the air.
when u consider the many, hateful, thoughtless, racist things that FOX news hosts, constantly put out there, they need to stop, right now. This is nothing compared to the garbage they put out daily. Give me a break. 2 situations compared to thousands of way more insensitive comments. Go find something more important to write about
Ah Yes, roasting hot dogs with friends by a fire is all fun and games until someone's winner falls off.
Melissa Harris-Perry should be taken off the air for this. She really showed her true colors by following in with her own remarks after her guest started spewing their hate toward an innocent beautiful child, who just happens to be living in a republican household.
If Romney were a Democrat, all of them on the show would have been praising the Romney's as Gods for taking in a black child into their home.
I wonder how many children of a different ethnic race are in the Obama family circle. Black doesn't count either. How about a poor Indian, Chinese or other child from a orphanage in a 3rd world country. I bet zero!
And you Dems are so fast to condemn a republican with a heart as show boating............Look in the mirror some time.
Children and family of politicians should never be in the spot light. Let them grow up on their own without feeling hate.
Now lets see Cheney apologize for lying us into Iraq so Halliburton could prosper.
Crocodile tears.
Why are all liberals racist?
That was an excellent performance!
Her apology is disgusting and disingenuous. I've seen self righteous liberals admonish people on the spot for something that ended up being a misunderstanding on their part. Liberals are the most intolerant people around, and the mere fact that she did not put a stop to it on the spot is indefensible. It's easier to seek forgiveness instead of doing the right thing in the moment. How do you, with your heritage sit ideally by while someone sings "one of these things just doesn't belong here." Melissa, you are a disgusting disappointment.
since when do people with a pretty severe speech impediment get to make fun of a filthy rich family. take a look in the mirror or better yet, listen to recorded audio of "how thupid you thound with your lithp"
Whether what she said was inappropriate or not is not the issue. It sounds like the right wing lunatic fringe got on her case. Or maybe it was the ultra left wing bleeding heart liberals. Either way, she may have received it from both sides.
nothing more than insincere crocodile tears. Those people know only seething hate for anything that disagrees with what they say.
nothing more than crocodile tears. Libs are perpetrators of every crime they accuse others of commiting.
She should be fired. MSNBC should apologize.
Fire her? Really? Did you fire Limbaugh? Did you fire the Duck Dynasty dude? No way!!!!