Will Imus' Guests Condemn History of Bigotry?

Media Matters Documents Imus' Guests in 2007

Washington, DC - Today, Media Matters for America called on guests of Don Imus' nationally syndicated radio program Imus in the Morning, which is simulcast on MSNBC, to hold the controversial host accountable for his long history of racist, sexist, and homophobic commentary.

"It's time for those who go on Don Imus' show regularly to either publicly distance themselves from his long history of bigoted commentary or risk being seen as enabling it," said Karl Frisch, spokesman for Media Matters. "Wittingly or not, these high-profile guests have elevated and legitimized Imus' program for years. They should make known their views of his bigoted commentary."

Guests from 2007

While Some Guests Have Made Public Comments on the Imus Controversy, Many Have Not

Using transcripts from the show, Media Matters has compiled an extensive, but not comprehensive, list of guests who appeared on Imus in the Morning from January 2 through April 9.

1/2: Tom Brokaw, NBC News anchor; Howard Fineman, Newsweek columnist

1/3: Jon Meacham, managing editor of Newsweek; Tim Russert, NBC News Washington bureau chief; Mike Barnicle, MSNBC contributor

1/4: Craig Crawford, MSNBC political analyst; Sen. John McCain (R-AZ); Denise Austin, fitness expert

1/5: Donald Trump, real estate mogul; Andrea Mitchell, NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent; Deirdre Imus, wife of Don Imus; Adriano Moraes, world champion bull rider

1/8: Jonathan Alter, Newsweek senior editor; Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-DE); Bo Dietl, private investigator and former New York City Police detective; David Kiley, Business Week senior correspondent

1/9: Retired Col. Jack Jacobs, MSNBC military analyst; Jeff Greenfield, CNN senior political analyst; David Brooks, New York Times columnist

1/10: Mary Matalin, Republican strategist; Bob Schieffer, CBS correspondent and moderator of Face the Nation; former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR)

1/11: Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT); Tim Russert; Phil Simms, sports analyst; Chris Matthews, MSNBC host

1/12: Donald Trump; Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent for PBS The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer; Terry Bradshaw, football analyst

1/16: Kurt Vonnegut, author; Evan Thomas, Newsweek assistant managing editor; Montgomery Gentry, singer

1/17: Linda Fairstein, media consultant on criminal justice issues; Bo Dietl; Phil Simms; Frank Rich, New York Times columnist

1/18: Retired Col. Jack Jacobs; Howard Fineman; Brian Williams

1/19: Mike Lupica, sports columnist; Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT); Terry Bradshaw, football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday

1/22: Jon Meacham; Bo Dietl; Anna Quindlen, novelist and Newsweek contributing editor

1/23: Craig Crawford, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA); Ana Marie Cox, Time.com Washington editor

1/24: Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY); Tim Russert; Pat Buchanan, MSNBC contributor

1/25: Michael Graham, radio host and syndicated columnist; Chris Wallace, Fox News Sunday host; Deirdre Imus; Tom Oliphant, former Boston Globe columnist

1/26: Donald Trump; Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM); former Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN)

1/29: Bill White, president of the Center for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund; Arnold Fisher, chairman of the board of the Intrepid Foundation; Sen. John McCain

1/30: Jonathan Alter; Bo Dietl; Mike Barnicle

1/31: Harry Connick Jr., singer; Retired Col. Jack Jacobs

2/1: Phil Simms; Jeff Greenfield; Lou Dobbs, CNN host

2/2: Mike Lupica, sports columnist; Paul Begala, Democratic strategist and CNN political contributor; Mike Francesa, radio talk show host; Chris Russo, radio talk show host

2/5: Evan Thomas; Mike Francesa; Douglas Brinkley, Tulane University history professor; Chris Russo

2/6: Jim Cramer, MSNBC host; Ana Marie Cox; John Mellencamp, singer

2/7: Michael Beschloss, author; Chris Matthews; Howard Kurtz, Washington Post media critic

2/8: Mary Matalin; Howard Fineman; Deirdre Imus

2/9: Donald Trump; Tim Russert; Larry the Cable Guy, comedian

2/12: Jon Meacham; Sen. John Kerry (D-MA); Bo Dietl

2/13: Craig Crawford; Frank Rich; Dick Cavett, comedian and television host

2/14: Michael Graham; Raul Malo, singer

2/15: Col. Jack Jacobs; Sen. Chris Dodd; Charles Gibson, ABC News anchor

2/16: David Shuster, MSNBC correspondent

2/20: Jonathan Alter; Bo Dietl; Thomas Friedman, New York Times columnist

2/21: Mike Barnicle; David Brooks; David Kiley

2/22: Former Rep. Harold Ford Jr.; Bob Schieffer; Joe Tacopina, criminal defense attorney and media commentator

2/23: Donald Trump; Retired Col. Jack Jacobs; Pat O'Brien, sports commentator

2/26: Evan Thomas; Bo Dietl

2/27: Pat Buchanan; James Carville, CNN contributor and Democratic strategist; George Stephanopoulos, ABC News chief Washington correspondent and This Week host

2/28: Jay Severin; Sen. John McCain; Kelly O'Donnell, NBC News White House correspondent; Jim Lehrer, PBS host

3/1: Jim Cramer; Jeff Greenfield; Deirdre Imus

3/2: Donald Trump; Bill Carter, New York Times reporter; Sen. Joe Lieberman

3/5: Jon Meacham; Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO); Jim Miklaszewski, NBC News chief Pentagon correspondent

3/7: Howard Fineman; Tim Russert; Chris Matthews

3/8: Michael Beschloss; retired Col. Jack Jacobs, Billy Packer, CBS sportscaster

3/9: Donald Trump; Sen. Charles Schumer

3/12: Jonathan Alter; Bo Dietl, Mary Matalin

3/13: Craig Crawford; Chris Hansen, Dateline NBC correspondent; Mike Lupica

3/14: Andy Rooney, commentator for CBS' 60 Minutes; Mike Francesa; Chris Russo; Chris Wallace

3/15: Retired Col. Jack Jacobs; Lou Dobbs; Stuart Taylor Jr., National Journal senior writer

3/16: Jay Severin; Tim Russert; Pat O'Brien; Sen. John Kerry; former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

3/19: Evan Thomas; Bo Dietl; Billy Packer; Howard Kurtz

3/20: Former Rep. Harold Ford Jr.; Jon Meacham; Thomas Friedman

3/21: Paul Begala; Richard Engel, NBC News Middle East correspondent; Joe Tacopina

3/22: Jim Cramer; former Sen. Bill Bradley (D-NJ)

3/23: Sen. John Kerry; Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Sen. John Kerry

3/26: Jon Meacham; Sen. Joe Biden; Brian Williams

3/27: Craig Crawford; Jeff Greenfield; Charles Gibson

3/28: Pat Buchanan; Chris Matthews; David Brooks

3/29: Michael Beschloss; Sen. Claire McCaskill; David Gregory, NBC News chief White House correspondent

3/30: Donald Trump; Bob Schieffer; Mike Breen, sportscaster; retired Col. Jack Jacobs

4/2: Jonathan Alter; Mike Barnicle; Bo Dietl; Jay Severin

4/3: Ana Marie Cox; Larry the Cable Guy; Alison Krauss, singer

4/4: Michael Graham, radio host and syndicated columnist; Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Martina McBride, singer

4/5: Retired Col. Jack Jacobs; Anne Hull, Washington Post reporter; Mark LaNeve, General Motors vice president

4/6: Donald Trump; Tim Russert; Mike Breen; Tim McCarver, sports analyst

4/9: Evan Thomas; Bo Dietl; Howard Fineman; Tom Oliphant

More on Don Imus from Media Matters for America

Tom Oliphant to Imus on racial slur controversy: "Solidarity forever, pal"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704090007

Referring to host Don Imus' April 4 comments on MSNBC's Imus in the Morning -- in which the radio host referred to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos" -- and the controversy that ensued, Boston Globe columnist Tom Oliphant began his appearance on the April 9 edition of Imus in the Morning by stating: "Good morning, Mr. Imus, and solidarity forever, by the way." Oliphant also referred to political pundits like himself who appear on the show as Imus' "constituency."

Fineman to pal Imus: Racist comments aren't OK any more like they used to be
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704090002

Discussing host Don Imus' April 4 comments on MSNBC's Imus in the Morning -- in which Imus referred to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos" -- and the controversy that ensued, Newsweek editor Howard Fineman, appearing on the April 9 edition of Imus in the Morning, asserted: "[I]t's a different time, Imus ... it's different than it was even a few years ago, politically," and added that "some of the stuff that you used to do, you probably can't do anymore." Fineman continued, "I mean, just looking specifically at the African-American situation. I mean, hello, [Sen.] Barack Obama's [D-IL] got twice the number of contributors as anybody else in the race," and added, "[T]hings have changed. And the kind of -- some of the kind of humor that you used to do you can't do anymore. And that's just the way it is."

Imus Has Long Record of Incendiary Remarks
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704090001

Though Don Imus continued to apologize this morning 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 are just the latest in a long history of racial slurs made on the show by Imus, his guests, and regular contributors. Below are several examples of remarks made by Imus and others on his program documented by Media Matters for America over the past few months:

Imus apologized for "nappy-headed hos" remark
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704060003

After reportedly defending his April 4 description of the Rutgers University women's basketball team, which is comprised of eight African-American and two white players, as "nappy-headed hos," on the April 6 edition of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning, host Don Imus apologized for the remark. Imus called his comments "insensitive and ill-conceived," adding that "[i]t was completely inappropriate, and we can understand why people were offended." He further called the comments "thoughtless and stupid." Media Matters for America noted Imus' initial comments at the time.

Imus called women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704040011

On 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."

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