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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Another race baiter bleeding heart . She just doesn't want to loose her job. She doesn't give a damn about being sorry.
Here is our newest entry into the 4 year university of obama unemployment
People have such thin skin now a days.....
I sincerely hope this world wakes up soon. The dreadful reality is that the culture that preaches tolerance and acceptance of other views is itself the most narrow minded, hypocritical and bigoted, and guilty of everything they falsley point at, accuse and rail against on the other side.
Next.
Still waiting for our elected officials to apologize for the racism shown toward our President. What? They don't have to? Carry on.
The true colors of msnbc slip out from times to time.
Hey Tea Party Fox News And other hate groups,
Your turn.
People have such thin skin now a days.....
People always say after the fact "I am sorry, I really do not feel that way." Well, YES YOU DO! Or else it would not have even entered your mind to say it in the first place. Our first comments on a given situation is usually exactly how we feel and regret only comes later...not about what we said but how we said it. We just regret the fact that we may be embarrassed about how we come across and how our comments affect us and not the person they were directed at. Saying sorry only placates the masses and in some cases such as this make you even more heartless. She should have put a stop to it then and there but her true self came out and now she is embarrassed...that is the only reason behind the apology...that and she wants to keep her job.
Fire her – just like Alec and Martin. There is no place on TV for this blatant disregard for a wonderful, kind, compassionate families feelings. Get rid of her. Her true colors have been seen by all.
Like Romney hasn't talked down to, like, everyone
Fire her now....disgusting peace of
She should be fired. Imus was fired and others. What makes her different???????
Yeah right, she's just crying because she's trying to save her job. She meant what she said when she said it. These kind of people make me sick.
There is a double standard here, Folks on Fox can say the ugliest things and no-one calls for them to be fired, M H-P invites a poor joke and, well read the thread above. I still don't know why Bashir left, Palin was talking nonsense and he responded.
@ John R, on the contrary regarding Mitt's political affiliation and her being fired. We all now the media has a Liberal agenda. She is interracial as evident by her appearance and hyphenated last name. Fire her!
Maybe it's just me, first MSNBC was laughing, now I'm laughing... Ever wondered why MSNBC are losing viewers?
What's so funny about saving a child from poverty or a bad family? Does the child have to be white for you to approve of it?
"My intention was not malicious" this woman thinks tears make lies true?
when you are old enough and made a stupid and hatred comment on TV with some other old and stupid people laughing along with you, then you later made an apology for that comment, that apology is just a faked one.
The left with their pure hatred for all things conservative and pure love for all things Obama (right or wrong) seem to have no idea of what they have done to this country. We have never been so polarized... We now have an executive branch who issues executive orders against the will of the people and refuses to allow congress to serve their purpose. This means we are no longer a republic, not even a "democracy" that D's pretend we are. "...and to the republic for which it stands..." You who refuse to hold our leaders and journalists responsible for the truth have given us a totalitarian dictatorship. Nice going!!!
how could she became an anchor!!!!
C'mon, you mean Mitt adopted a black kid and it WASN'T for political reasons? I don't believe it, I never believed it. With his money, it wasn't like he had to had constant daily involvement, anyway...
The headline SHOULD be
Msnbc host PRETENDS to offer apology
Her apology was about as sincere as Hitler's apology to the Jews– WHAT– he never apologized? well – Like I said, this apology is about the same as his–
This was all about Bashir's screw up and verbal Hari-Kari he performed just a few month's ago, on the same idiot network–
This is a hatefilled woman- she has being a victim down pat– sadly, her career path is spiraling down, ONCE she decided to jump into the toilet with the other liberal turds, there is only one direction for her career- so enjoy the round and round with your butt against the porcelin, sooner or later your tiny little show will fit through that small opening in the bottom; as it washes into the sewer , where she belongs– see ya smelly–