Imus Apologizes for "Nappy-Headed Hos" Comment

Incident is merely the latest in a string of racial slurs and incendiary comments documented by Media Matters

Washington, DC - Don Imus today apologized for calling members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos" on his nationally syndicated radio program Imus in the Morning, which is simulcast on MSNBC. His comments, however, are just the latest in a long history of racial slurs made on the show by Imus, his guests, and regular contributors.

"All too often in the media, overtly harsh and inflammatory comments are made on shows like Imus in the Morning simply for shock value, without thinking of their meaning or implication," said David Brock, President and CEO of Media Matters for America. "While we appreciate his apology in this instance, this is nothing new for Imus. It is just the latest in the string of racial slurs by Imus and those on his show that Media Matters has documented. We hope he will take this opportunity to re-examine his behavior."

Imus apologized this morning at 6:06 a.m. ET, saying his comments were "insensitive and ill-conceived" and adding, "It was completely inappropriate, and we can understand why people were offended." He further called the comments "thoughtless and stupid" and said, "[W]e're sorry."

Shortly after Imus made his comments about the Rutgers team, MSNBC released the following statement: "While simulcast by MSNBC, 'Imus in the Morning' is not a production of the cable network and is produced by WFAN Radio. As Imus makes clear every day, his views are not those of MSNBC. We regret that his remarks were aired on MSNBC and apologize for these offensive comments."

Media Matters has documented several other racial slurs on Imus' show in the past. Most recently, Imus invited Sid Rosenberg back on his show after he was fired for referring to Palestinians as "stinking animals" and saying, "They ought to drop the bomb right there, kill 'em all right now." Those and other inflammatory comments got Rosenberg fired from the show; however, Imus has continued to invite him and others back on the air.

More from Media Matters for America on Don Imus ...

Imus called women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos"
In the April 4 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning, host Don Imus referred to the Rutgers University women's basketball team, which is comprised of eight African-American and two white players, as "nappy-headed hos" immediately after the show's executive producer, Bernard McGuirk, called the team "hard-core hos." Later, former Imus sports announcer Sid Rosenberg, who was filling in for sportscaster Chris Carlin, said: "The more I look at Rutgers, they look exactly like the [National Basketball Association's] Toronto Raptors."

He's back? Rosenberg alluded to previous racially insensitive remarks that first got him fired from Imus
On the March 27 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning, former Imus sports announcer Sid Rosenberg appeared on the program and referenced a story in the New York Daily News headlined "Serena Shocked by Racist Heckler." Rosenberg commented, "I was on an airplane," suggesting that he could not have been the one heckling professional tennis player Serena Williams.

Imus' McGuirk on "young colored fellah" Obama "pretty much deckin' the old bag from New York"
On the March 16 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning, executive producer Bernard McGuirk, performing as his character "Cardinal Egan," said that "the whole nation is talking about" reports of a "young colored fellah pretty much deckin' the old bag from New York and takin' away some of her money." McGuirk continued: "I'm speaking, of course, about [Sens.] Barack Obama [D-IL] and Hillary Clinton [D-NY]."

On Imus, McGuirk said that "bitch" Clinton will "have cornrows and gold teeth"
On the March 6 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning, executive producer Bernard McGuirk said that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) was "trying to sound black in front of a black audience" when she gave a speech on March 4 in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 1965 "Bloody Sunday" civil rights march. McGuirk added that Clinton "will have cornrows and gold teeth before this fight with [Sen. Barack] Obama [D-IL] is over." Earlier in the program, in reference to Clinton's speech, McGuirk had said, "Bitch is gonna be wearing cornrows." McGuirk also said that Clinton will be "giving Crips signs during speeches." The Crips are a Los Angeles-based street gang.

Imus: "[I]t was Bernard who said, 'Besa mi culo' ... not me"
On the February 8 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning, during a discussion with Newsweek magazine chief political correspondent Howard Fineman, host Don Imus falsely claimed that "it was [executive producer] Bernard [McGuirk] who said, 'Besa mi culo ... Gordo, [to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson] not me." The phrase loosely translates to "kiss my ass, fat one," in Spanish. As Media Matters for America noted at the time, however, Imus echoed McGuirk -- labeled by Media Matters as "unidentified" -- saying "besa mi culo" at least twice himself on the February 1 edition of Imus. Richardson's mother is Mexican.

Imus touted Giuliani as willing to "drop [a nuclear weapon] on Mecca"
On the February 6 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning, host Don Imus claimed that "if we're gonna be fighting these terrorists through the lives of [8-year-old son] Wyatt Imus' children," then "it might be good to start with somebody who is willing to take three big ones and drop one on Mecca, one on Jeddah, and one on Saudi -- one on Riyadh," all cities in Saudi Arabia. Imus made the point in response to co-host Charles McCord, who claimed that Imus had "Leon Klinghoffered John McCain ... in favor of Rudolph Giuliani" during a private conversation they had the previous evening. Imus has previously claimed that he will vote for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in 2008.

Imus producer referred to Obama's "Jew-hating name"
On the February 2 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning, the show's executive producer, Bernard McGuirk, claimed that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has "a Jew-hating name." The remark followed a flurry of other negative comments from host Don Imus, McGuirk, and co-host Charles McCord about the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, calling Obama a "creep," "a wind-watching wimp," and "a flip-flopping weasel."

Imus sat by as McCain said Nelson resigned RNC over Ford ad
Don Imus didn't challenge John McCain's claim that his 2008 presidential campaign manager, Terry Nelson, while serving as head of the independent expenditure unit of the Republican National Committee, "realized it was a mistake" to sign off on an ad attacking Tennessee Democratic Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. and that Nelson subsequently "resigned from the group of people who approved of it." In fact, Nelson has publicly defended the ad, and there is no apparent evidence that Nelson "resigned" from his RNC position in protest over the ad.

MSNBC's Imus referred to "Jewish management" of CBS Radio as "money-grubbing bastards"
As the Forward newspaper reported in a December 8 online article, Don Imus referred to the "Jewish management" of CBS Radio as "money-grubbing bastards" on the November 30 broadcast of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning. Imus was discussing a past conflict with his bosses about hosting the musical group the Blind Boys of Alabama. Executive producer Bernard McGuirk asked, "Even if you wear a beanie, how can you not love the Blind Boys?" Imus continued, "I said, 'They're handicapped, they're black, and they're blind. How do we lose here?' And then a light bulb just went off over [the managers'] scummy little heads." CBS Radio owns WFAN, the New York station that is the flagship for Imus' radio show.

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