Rachel Jeantel, a witness for the prosecution in the George Zimmerman murder trial, has responded to Rush Limbaugh's use of the n-word, calling it “disrespectful” and saying it felt racist.

In an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan about the trial, Jeantel argued that the n-word -- said with an “a” at the end -- could be used to describe any male. On July 16, Limbaugh seized on Jeantel's interview to claim “I can now” say "'nigga' with an a" because “it's not racist”:

LIMBAUGH: So, “nigga,” with an “a” on the end, well I think I can now. Isn't that the point? 'Cause it's not racist. That's the point. I could be talking about a male, a Chinese male, a guy at the laundromat. I could be talking about a man. That's what she said it means. 

Jeantel responded to Limbaugh's racially charged comments during an interview with HuffPost Live, saying, “Well, when you say [the n-word] out loud in person in front of people, that's disrespectful,” she said. “It is racist for an adult.”

When interviewer Marc Lamont Hill asked whether Limbaugh's use of the word felt racist, Jeantel responded, “Well, yes. Yes, but I can't judge him. Why? Did I [say] it on television yesterday? Yes. I don't mean you're supposed to say it out loud. That's a cuss word. 'Cracker' is a cuss word too.”