By Claudia Aoraha, Senior Reporter for Dailymail.Com 1:56 PM 28 Mar 2023, updated 2:26 PM 28 Mar 2023
- Barbie Bassett removed from air after quoting Snoop: “Fo shizzle my n****e”
- Goldberg is the last to defend Bassett while criticizing political correctness
Whoopi Goldberg has slammed the decision to remove a white Mississippi news anchor from the air after she quoted lyrics from Snoop Dogg during a broadcast.
Barbie Bassett, a popular anchor and WLBT’s first chief meteorologist, has not been seen on the NBC affiliate since March 8 after repeating a famous snoop slang: “Fo shizzle, my n****e.”
In his speech on The View, Whoopi gave grace to the news anchor — while also addressing political correctness in general — saying, “Just because we’re on TV doesn’t mean we know everything.”
Bassett’s comment came during a segment about Snoop Dogg’s wine company, Cali Wine Collection, and the launch of its Snoop Cali Blanc variety.
The racial epithet she was referring to is one for black people – but Whoopi is now among a growing number of people including Charlamagne The God, who defends Bassett.
Whoopi Goldberg slammed the decision to remove a white Mississippi news anchor from the air after she quoted Snoop Dogg lyrics during a broadcast — and she came to the defense of all TV hosts who sometimes “don’t know everything,” morning news anchor Barbie Bassett ( center ) can be seen with her co-hosts during the controversial on-air show. Bassett has not been seen on the air since the March 8 incident after he made the racially insensitive remark
Whoopi told The View: “There has to be a book of things no one could ever say, never, never, never. Include everything. The things that change, you can say that, but you can’t say that, but next week you might not be able to say that, it’s hard to keep up.
“It’s hard to keep up. And if you’re a person of a certain age, there are things we do and say.
“We don’t know everything you don’t know. And if someone says something, if you don’t give them a chance to explain why they said it, at least give them the grace to say, “You know what, I was just informed that I shouldn’t be doing that.” done”, as opposed to “you’re out”.
“Because saying ‘You’re out’ means you don’t want to hear what people have to say or what mistakes they might have made that could have helped someone else avoid that mistake.”
Goldberg also lamented that TV networks “never” let you come in to clarify your controversial statements — perhaps in relation to their own on-screen gaffes.
The View host was previously suspended from the show for saying, “The Holocaust is not about race,” and he also filmed an apology for using the word “g****d” — a term that considered derogatory towards people of Roma heritage.
The phrase is frequently used in his music by rapper Snoop Dogg. The former beauty pageant queen (right) had been cited in October 2022 for making a racially insensitive remark to another co-host about lately apologizing for Bassett being spoken to for viewers on March 8 – at her apparently last broadcast
Barbie Bassett’s latest spat comes just months after she referred to her co-host, Cameron Poe’s grandmother, as “grandmother” — a term African-American slaves used for their grandmothers. Poe is black.
She apologized to viewers and her staff for the offensive remark during the October 2022 broadcast, calling it “insensitive and hurtful” and said she will attend training sessions to “better understand our history and our people.”
After the firestorm, WLBT Vice President and General Manager Ted Fortenberry issued a statement on social media: “As I’m sure you can understand, WLBT is not in a position to comment on personnel matters.”
Discussing Bassett’s recent incident with DJ Envy, Charlamagne The God also recently came to her defense: “She can’t say, ‘Fo s*****e, my n****e?’
Bassett said, “Fo s*****e, my n****e” while pocketing the Cali Wine Collection and launching his Snoop Cali Blanc variety
“Oh, I guess because n****e is a derivative of the N-word. I say that in context. I didn’t mean to say…I don’t use that word.”
The word is sometimes used as slang for the n-word and is considered offensive.
But DJ Envy said he didn’t think using it was “fireable,” and Charlamagne interjected, “She might not even know what ‘N***e’ means, yo.
“I’m not like, come on, we gotta like, stop it man. That is no reason to fire this woman.”
“That’s the thing about hip-hop, man. Hip hop is so big and so mainstream and it’s just like who can consume it and who can’t?
‘You know what I mean? Who can repeat slang and who can’t? She could be old. She probably has no idea that n****e is a derivative of the N-word.’
DJ Envy was also quick to defend Bassett, adding that she’s probably a “fan of Snoop Dogg.”