Mississippi morning information anchor and chief meteorologist Barbie Bassett has been fired after quoting Snoop Dogg on air earlier this month. Bassett labored at NBC affiliate WLBT, and through a March 8 broadcast she engaged in an on-air dialogue round Snoop’s Cali wine line. At one level, Bassett stated the phrase, “Fo shizzle, my nizzle.”
“Nizzle” is slang for the N-word, and Bassett is white. As the New York Post stories, Bassett additionally as soon as tweeted the phrase in 2011. Likewise, in October 2022, Bassett apologized after referencing a Black reporter’s “grandmammy” on air.
“Though not intentional, I now understand how my comment was both insensitive and hurtful. I have apologized to Carmen Poe,” Bassett stated on the time. “Now, I would like to apologize to you. That is not the heart of who I am. And for that, I humbly ask for your forgiveness and I apologize to everyone I have offended.”
She continued: “I will learn from this and participate in training so I can better understand our history and our people. I can’t mend the hurt my comment caused. I pray you’ll forgive me and that you’ll extend grace through this awful mistake.”
Radio DJ Charlamagne Tha God got here to Bassett’s protection, saying on The Breakfast Club: “I don’t think she should have been fired for that. She might not even know what ‘nizzle’ means, yo. Come on, like stop. That’s not a reason to fire that woman.”
“As I am sure you can understand, WLBT is unable to comment on personnel matters,” Ted Fortenberry, the station’s regional vp and basic supervisor, stated in an announcement to the Post.