There has been no sign of a Mississippi morning news anchor since she uttered a Snoop Dogg phrase on the air earlier this month.
Barbie Bassett hasn’t been on the air for NBC affiliate WLBT since March 8, when her team discussed adding the rapper to its wine line.
Bassett said, “Fo shizzle, my nizzle” when the idea of a snoop collab with a news editor came up. (“Nizzle” is slang for the N-word.)
The station’s chief meteorologist and anchor Bassett previously caused controversy with a comment referring to the “grandmother” of a black reporter on the air. She later apologized.
According to Clarion Ledger, she is no longer listed on the station’s website. And Bassett hasn’t shared anything on Twitter since the same day — her silence, including this weekend when a deadly tornado struck Mississippi and sparked much chatter among meteorologists.
The New York Post covered the story but received no comment from Bassett, WLBT, or Snoop Dogg. It quotes the network’s regional vice president, Ted Fortenberry, as saying:
“As I’m sure you can understand, the WLBT cannot comment on personnel matters.”