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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She said it because she thought it was witty, insulting, superior to Romney; and because that is how she and her friends speak at parties, and dinner, and fund raising events. So insightful, so quick with a 'smart' comment to impress each other.
The segment she did was pretty rotten, but at least her apology seemed sincere. Unlike that stinking slimeball idiot Obeidallah. Nice apology Dean you worm.
This womans behavior is unforgivable and should be punished by termination of her employment
It is funny to watch the PC get hoisted onto their own petard
She should have been fired
While I appreciate the apology the fact she admitted is was to be a laughter segment says all that is required. she chose the photo to bring out the ridicule and responses from her guests. Nice employee NBC and Tulane.
Seriously????? REALLY ???? What is the matter with this country ??? Crying and offering an apology to Willy Romney for lighthearted kidding? REALLY ???? WOW.... MSNBC should be Ashamed for doing such a thing.
I find it interesting that when left wing media says something INAPPROPRIATE, they actually say an apology, BUT when right wing media says something inapproprate, THEY ATTACK WITH VENGENCE, and never mind an apology, because NONE COMES!
She cried because she had to apologize, it was humiliating. Not that she was sorry. Liberals don't like to apologize its not in their nature to be called out.
Ya Fired.
Dear Politicians,
You voluntarily chose to run for public office. You deliberately chose to place yourself, and your family in the spotlight. You knowingly decided to do this while being fully aware that every single aspect of your life and theirs would be under the most powerful and unforgiving of microscopes, public scrutiny. You and your family WILL be made fun of. No matter how good you and they may be, no matter how hard you and they try to hide your little foibles. You're even going to get made fun of for perfectly innocuous things. That's a part of the deal YOU signed up for, the job YOU asked for.
If you can't handle that, then do yourself, your family, and the American public a favor, and get out of politics. Make room for someone who's got a thick skin and can still function, despite a little discomfort from some person they never met saying something catty about them.
Sarah Palin, shut up.
Respectfully,
The American Public.
Ms. Perry has offered a sincere and genuine apology, she certainly is a class act. Everyone can move on now.
I wish both the far left and far right can learn to understand when a joke is meant to be a joke...and if a joke crosses the line and the person telling it seems truly sorry, we can accept the apology. The fact is nearly all of us say insensitive things from time to time, that upon reflection, we wish we could take back...and TV personalities are no different. I am a proud liberal, and I get so annoyed when MSNBC makes a big deal about a everything Rush or Palin say. These gotcha moments are getting old.
If these are the racist comments that you make live on TV, I'd hate to hear what racist comments you make off camera and especially among your own. Obama promised to the the Uniter and has been the Divider instead. He's more blatantly racist than most blacks but he's only following what his religion and preacher talked about in his Black Liberation Theology brainwashing sessions.
She didn't intend to be malicious? It was a typical "Progressive" mean-spirited segment. And they are just shocked that no one watches their mean spirited, malicious network.
Notice that Romney is being "Presidential" by not commenting on this but if it were a Black family being made fun of for have a white grandchild, that person would have a lynch mob at their front door and the media would cover it live.
It is good she apologized. I hope she meant it. The rudeness we have embraced as a result of siding with or scoring a point against opposing or alternative political ideals or philosophies is toxic and does not reflect Christianity at its core. I hope all liberals, conservatives, progressives, and moderates remember this the next time they open that "hole in their face" called a mouth. Hopefully, it will reflect it is connected to their brain and a few of the brain cells called morality.
OK....accepted. A conservative says enough already with everyone getting fired. Unless it's Ed Shultz... HAAAAAA
And you've got those mindless, I'm better then you, smarter then you, numb nut$ sitting next to her thinking they are the best thing for the human race since fire who should just stop talking and grown up.
I didn't see the show but from the story it looks like the comments came from the two panelists rather than Harris-Perry herself. I wonder what she, being biracial herself, should have said when she heard them. I never heard of Glenn and Obeidallah, but if this is the sort of thing they spew I hope my ignorance continues..
No apology needed Melissa.
The mockery was callous and rude. MSNBC has a habit of making offensive statements about conservatives – conservative women, conservative people of color. However, this host's apology is sincere, and we should move on. I hope everyone at MNSNBC, and at other media outlets, learns a lesson from this episode.
Television shows are carefully planned in advance, the fact this stunt made it through that vetting process says everything one needs to know about MSNBC...
Now go work for Fox News...young lady !
That leftist White hater will lie and do anything to save her job!
The only thing she really regrets is being called out for her racist rant!
She should have been fired.
Too little, too late. Fire her.