A Jackson, Mississippi, news anchor and meteorologist has been removed from her morning spot on WLBT and her bio stricken from the station’s website after saying Snoop Dogg lyrics during a live broadcast.
Earlier this month, Barbara Bassett and her news crew were talking about Snoop Dogg’s new wine, Snoop Cali Blanc. Co-anchor Wilson Stribling made a comment to Bassett about putting a “Snoop Dogg tattoo on her shoulder.” To which, Bassett responded with the lyrics.
Longtime Mississippi news anchor appears to no longer be employed with the news team after saying, “Fo shizzle, my nizzle” on airhttps://t.co/O5tFTsac1g pic.twitter.com/hs01IyVQaL— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) March 24, 2023
Bassett was quoting a phrase popularized by rapper Snoop Dogg. But the term is slang for the N-word.
No comment from the station
Mississippi’s Clarion-Ledger has reached out to Bassett and WLBT staff for comment, but so far everyone is tight-lipped. “As I am sure you can understand, WLBT is unable to comment on personnel matters,” said WLBT Vice President and General Manager Ted Fortenberry.
This is not the first time Bassett has run into trouble for controversial remarks. In October 2022, she used the word “grandmammy,” an old slave term, while speaking to a Black reporter. At that time, Bassett apologized.
“Today at 11′, I used a term that was offensive to many in our audience and to my coworkers here at WLBT. Though not intentional, I now understand how my comment was both insensitive and hurtful,” she said at the time. “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.”
Not everyone is offended
While Bassett’s “fo shizzle” comments have been criticized by some for being racially insensitive, others believe the station overreacted in its punishment.
Radio host Charlamagne The God defended Bassett during his radio show, The Breakfast Club.
“Come on, we got to like, stop, man. That’s not a reason to fire that woman,” he said. “She probably has no idea [it’s] is a derivative of the N-word.”
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