Imus Has Long Record of Incendiary Remarks
Incident is merely the latest in a long string of racial slurs and inflammatory comments documented by Media Matters
Washington, DC - 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
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."
He's
back? Rosenberg
alluded to previous racially insensitive remarks that first got him fired from Imus
http://mediamatters.org/items/200703280001
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"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200703160007
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"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200703070009
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"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200702090002
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"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200702070014
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"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200702020009
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."
MSNBC's
Imus referred to "Jewish management" of CBS Radio as
"money-grubbing bastards"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200612080006
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.
###
RSS Feeds
My final experience as a viewer of Imus' show was the morning that Imus' cohorts, McCord and McGuirk or something like that, went on and on about how Jill Carroll, that woman reporter from the Christian Science Monitor who had been kidnapped and was being held hostage, "looked like a sympathizer". Also that she, "looked like someone who would strap a suicide belt on", and similar outrageous crapola. Imus weakly and half-heartedly "begged" them to stop. He did not, however, kill their microphones.....
In addition, these morons said, "She's carrying Zarqawi's baby. No doubt about it." and, "She's Taliban Janie, this girl. Taliban Jill or whatever."
I have heard that later these two refused to apologize on the air. Imus half-heartedly called on them to apologize but they refused. Still he allowed them to stay on the air. I did not personally witness this as I was boycotting their broadcasts by then.
When Imus asks these morons to stop what they are saying, or if he asks for an apology, he is not serious about it. It's like good cop/bad cop. They're still both cops.
Imus is a hate monger. He profits as a purveyor of devisive hatred. In my opinion, people should just refuse to tolerate his aberrant behavior.