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 should be fired immediately with no severance pay
As a follow up to my previous comment...I don't advocate firing her...this is much more systemic and permeates throughout MSNBC; their charter, bylaws, and should be changed to make this policy inside MSNBC; a disciplinary measure; this takes personalities out of it and it should be available to the public to see that MSNBC puts its money where its mouth is.
Nooooo. Stop apologizing to these bigots!!!!! Damn it!!!!
Spare me the tearful drivel
I find it hilarious that far worse things come out of Fox commentators and there doesn't seem to be ANY outrage at that. When Rush Limbaugh publicly mocked a very young Chelsea Clinton's "looks" on his live television show in the 90's there was no outrage. You all slapped each other on the back, hooted, and laughed. Nor are any of you outraged at the nightly things that are said by Hannity and Coulter. The difference is that the MSNBC guys DO apologize. Get over yourselves guys, as one poster said: "much ado about nothing".
Not buying it, she is just crying for her job.
2 faces we see again
duck guy is an actor or a showman
she is an 20 something that represents her generation and ideas
she needs to be let go
Harris should be fire. These liberals think they can make any comments. Why, because they can make any comment, but anyone else...its not PC to be so cold. If this was a republican making a comment about a liberal, this would be a never ending major PR issue. Where is the fairness. This comment by Harris regarding the new Rommey grandchild was inappropriate and unprofessional. FIRE HER !!!!!!!
This lady has gone over and above to correct something a GUEST on her show said. Apology is accepted, and in fact wasn't even necessary. Melissa Harris-Perry is one of the best and brightest anchors out there now. Won't miss any of her shows.
I believe her about the same amount that she would believe a Rush Limbaugh apology! How long would she continue to hit the right with it apology or not?
My guess is that she was thinking more of the threat of being fired than offending anyone. MSNBC offends others all the time, its just this time it wasn't PC.
Whatever! She is only crying and apologizing now because she is trying to save her job. I don't buy her or Pia's apology. No apology can cover up their nasty mean hearts. Go back and watch the whole video again...the humor did not abruptly change for the worse....she knew what she was doing all along and that was her intent from the very beginning to ridicule this family.
People need to get over race and just laugh about it. Black people look hilarious white people do as well yellow red etc. they are all funny as hell. Laugh at them all and live long lives.No one doubt little black Romney will feel very lonely if he doesn't get a sister or brother that is black like he is.But other then that we all have things we do not like about ourselves you know some fat some bald some glasses some red hair some etc.
Ah, freedom of speech
Cable news shows have a difficult time filling up the endless hours with anything of value. What MSNBC did here was typical of the stretch many of these shows go to in the interest of filling airtime. The stations liberal charter is by definition divisive as is the charter of Fox News (and others). News shows should go back to the maxim of who, what, where, and when and leave editorializing to the living rooms, dinner tables, and back yards of private citizens.
Every once in a while people accidentally let down their guard and you can see what they are really like. The foundation of modern liberalism is cast from equal parts hypocrisy, denial, and guilt. Hypocrisy is the glue that holds it all together.
No, not on MSNBC! We'd only expect this on Fox News... (end sarcasm)
Not to worry – according to Mormon scripture*, as she is raised in the church, she shall become "white and delightsome like the rest of the family.
*2 Nephi 30:6 ". . . scales of darkness shall begin to fall . . . they shall be a white and delightsome people." (Changed to pure and delightsome in 1981 before the NCAA basketball tournament)
Those tears were not authentic!
How does a person with such a bad "lisp" even end up in news broadcasting. It should be a pre-requisite for the job to be able to pronounce the English language let alone say the right things. In her apology, I don't see any real remorse just a person looking to keep a job she shouldn't have in the first place. And if it was up to me, she would be fired already. I understand there are protocols the company has to watch out for with her but hopefully HR and the lawyers can get past those and get ride of her very soon.
Melissa Harris-Perry apology was sincere I believe but such a racist comment about Romney family was unforgivable coming from a black woman of such stature. Others recently have been deep fried and ruined for making comments or revealing words they used yrs ago that were racist.
You don't attack someone's politics by using their young children as props. There was nothing of substance in anything that this host was saying, she simply chose to ridicule an entire family because they adopted a black child as their own. She can apologize, but there is no explaining what she was doing and what her guests were saying. MSNBC is a complete joke as a news organization.
It is a fact that more racist people are on the right. It is a fact if you are a racist most likely you will vote for a republican.
I am socially liberal and economically conservative. Searching for a party that can be just that.
She needs to go. Fox would probably pick her up, now that she has proven she cannot report responsibly and picks on kids.
Hey! Where are the irrelevant Reverends Jackson and Sharpton? Where are the intolerant tolerants (liberals) in all of this? If this was a white conservative, they'd be all over this! I guess this shows their double standard – "as long as you agree with us we're tolerant with you."