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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Yes, poor innocent Melissa just "poked fun". What a nice way to try and sanitize her hateful, nasty little rant. But then again, what should I expect from her fellow travelers?
And MSNBC wonders why they are irrelevant...between 'Softball' Matthews and this idiot, they are a joke!
If crying will keep her from being fired, we should all try this to avoid the consequences of our misdeeds...
Crocodile tears
She should be fired.
This is a media problem, if something was said on Leno or the Daily show, no-one would need to apologize. But when you purport to be a news program and turn it into a variety show, I don't care if you're on MSNBC or FOX, you're just a bunch of entertainers with a stupid opinion and it feeds peoples emotions more than informs them of anything. Sincere apology? More han likely sincerely concerned for her job.
What boggles my mind is that she herself comes from a mixed race family. I'm not one for all the "sensitivity" stuff, but the one person that you would THINK would have some manner of empathy would be a liberal who also grew up in a biracial family.
But in reality...we Americans need to stop being so sensitive to any remarks unless they are of pure hate.
I found the video and it was nothing bad..just a bunch of comedians poking fun..
I am sure the Romneys did not take these comedians seriously..
If you run for any Public Office or if you are in the Public Eye...you expect the Poking..
Poking Fun is not a sin...all of us do it....all of us laugh at things we would never let other people know we laughed at..
.We need to laugh more in this world and not have to apologize for every little bitty word we may have said ...
I get furious when they bring up things people said 40 years ago as in the Paula dean case.. That is silly..
Let it go Melissa..You are a good reporter and really did nothing wrong.
.;Neither did the other people I mentioned..None were Hate Remarks...
What? No suspension???
Why?? Cuz she's black?
Cuz Romney is white???
Off with her head......
If course she's tearful, she's about to lose her job.
I watched the apology – only thing she is sorry for is that the planned segment failed and gained negative response – she meant to hurt the family of an opponent
Dont forget she defended those outrageous and hurtful statements first folks...
Of course she's tearful....lol...she's about to lose her job....
I normally don't comment on any articles, but I agree with the person saying she should be terminated. I've gotta figure that if she herself wasn't from an interracial family, she would be gone
Tasteless? Yes. National news? No.
To quote the bard: "Much ado about nothing."
Seriously...people are so soft! I blame this generation of time outs and hug punishment. When I was young, you got called a name and your life went on. Those people aren't intentionally racist. That fool from duck dynasty isn't going to like gays. And it IS strange a Caucasian Mormon family had an adopted black child in it. We aren't going to get anywhere in a future society, with kids at their breaking point....and adults who can't accept the obvious!
Cheap people take cheap shots. It is a severe lack in their education. Old Harry took cheap shots. Nuff Said.
Melitha harrith-perry
who cares.....
oh for heavens sake – move on. she should have used more sense – but has anyone listened to the mud they sling in campaigns? or the other crap out there? no one thinks before opening their mouths anymore – but just move on.
Oh give me a break. Nothing compared to what the guy on Duck Dynasty said, nor what Sarah Palin says on a regular basis about the President & anyone, for that matter, who is poor or not-white. HP is not racist.
mitt romney and his family will forgive her.
So much the Great Uniter! Where is he? Couldn't that have been one of his kids? No Rev Jackson? Racist hipocrits!!
Ugh....tired of MSNBC apologizing for stuff that barely would register on Fox's (annoy-them-on-purpose-by-being-outrageous meter). Too many apologies is as bad as Fox never apologizing. AND I DON'T
NEED TALKING EMPTY HEADS TO APOLOGIZE TO ME......I know they are all full of it anyway.
In my opinion, she is racist, along with Al Sharpton. They are two reasons that in addition to the poor performance of Obama I no longer watch MSNBC and no longer support the Democratic party.
What I see here is there are a lot of people who are saying that the right does the same thing with comments about Obama, defending Phil Robertson etc... but when you use that logic aren't you saying that comment s that poor behavior is ok because someone else does it?