Whoopi Goldberg Backs Snoop-Quoting News Anchor: ‘It’s Hard To Keep Up!’
Yahoo.com, By Brooke Kato-NEW YORK POST, Posted April 11th 2023
Whoopi Goldberg has come to the defense of disgraced weatherwoman Barbie Bassett.
Goldberg slammed a Mississippi news station’s decision to oust Bassett, ostensibly because the anchor quoted a Snoop Dogg lyric on live television.
On “The View,” Goldberg insisted that “just because we’re on television, doesn’t mean we know everything.”
“We don’t know everything you’re not supposed to do,” she said earlier this week, taking a jab at NBC affiliate WLBT during her routine criticism bit.
Bassett, the Jackson network’s first chief meteorologist, was let go from her desk after uttering a racial epithet — “fo shizzle, my nizzle” — on air while reporting on rapper Snoop Dogg’s latest addition to his Cali wine line.
Following the on-screen gaffe, which quickly went viral on social media, Bassett was removed from the station’s team page online and has been absent from broadcasts since March 8.
Goldberg, 67, said it’s “hard to keep up” with the seemingly ever-changing social rules of what people can and can’t say — especially “if you’re a person of a certain age.”
“There has to be a book of stuff that nobody could ever say, ever, ever, ever. Include everything,” Goldberg said. “The things that change, you can say this, but you can’t say that, but next week you might not be able to say this. It’s hard to keep up.”
If someone slips up, they should “at least” be allowed to take responsibility, Goldberg continued, and admit — as she’s done herself multiple times — “You know what, I’ve just been informed that I should not have done that.”
“Because saying ‘You’re out’ means that you don’t want to hear what people have to say or the mistakes that they might have made that could have helped somebody else not make that mistake,” she concluded.
The Post has reached out to Bassett for comment.
Bassett quoted Snoop Dogg during a broadcast earlier this month.WLBT
The screen star knows a thing or two about on-air blunders — and public apologies. Goldberg used a slur for Romani people while discussing former President Donald Trump earlier this month. She also sparked controversy last year after using a Holocaust slur that resulted in a temporary suspension from “The View.”
Myriad others have shown support for Bassett following her removal from the network.
WLBT has yet to issue a public statement on the matter; however, Ted Fortenberry, the station’s regional vice president and general manager, told The Post that WLBT “cannot comment on personnel matters,” adding that their “policies are clear” and “communicated fully to all team members” through “ample resources and training.”
In 2022, the anchor apologized for using insensitive language during a broadcast.WLBT
“WLBT enforces all station policies in a manner that is fair and even-handed,” Fortenberry concluded.
For her part, Bassett has also refrained from public comment on the incident and merely posted a cryptic quote on Instagram referring to the ability to “withstand this storm.”
Bassett previously issued an on-air apology in October 2022 for referring to a black reporter’s grandmother as “grandmammy.”
“Though not intentional, I now understand how my comment was both insensitive and hurtful. I have apologized to Carmen Poe,” Bassett said, referring to her aggrieved colleague.
Bassett continued, “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.
“I will learn from this and participate in training so I can better understand our history and our people,” she added. “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.”
