Mika Brzezinski apologizes for gay slur
By Andrea Park
/ CBS News
Mika Brzezinski apologized Friday after using a gay slur on air, calling it "a mistake." The "Morning Joe" host referred to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a "wannabe dictator's butt boy" on Wednesday, during a discussion of the secretary's efforts to evade questions about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's alleged complicity in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Brzezinski said on Friday's show, "The term is crass and offensive, and I apologize to everyone, especially the LGBTQ community and to my colleagues, for using it." The host already apologized to viewers and Sen. Dick Durbin, who was on set that day, on Twitter on Wednesday. She was off from the show on Thursday due to a "family matter."
Totally agree with you -SUPER BAD choice of words .. I should have said “water boy”… like for football teams or something like that.. apologize to @SenatorDurbin too! SO SORRY! https://t.co/zIqsGdK3Tk
— Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) December 12, 2018
When she returned to the show Friday, she said that her father would have been aghast. Brzezinski's late father, Zbigniew Brzezinski, was a diplomat and former national security advisor for President Jimmy Carter.
"It was a mistake," Brzezinski said of her remark. "My father would have found it so unbecoming and disrespectful and he would have told me. I will work hard to be better. But I just wanted to say, on camera, looking viewers straight in the eye, I am really, really sorry."
Even President Trump weighed in on Brzezinski's comments, saying there was a double standard.
If it was a Conservative that said what “crazed” Mika Brzezinski stated on her show yesterday, using a certain horrible term, that person would be banned permanently from television….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2018
He continued, "She will probably be given a pass, despite their terrible ratings. Congratulations to @RichardGrenell, our great Ambassador to Germany, for having the courage to take this horrible issue on!"
Ambassador Richard Grenell is openly gay and criticized Brzezinski for demeaning gays.
First published on December 14, 2018
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Andrea Park
Andrea is an entertainment producer at CBSNews.com
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