Chris Curtis, a radio host on The Greg Hill Show, used a racist slur on air—but it's okay, guys! You see, he was actually trying to make a sexist joke.
Yep, the Boston radio station that aired the segment, WEEI-FM, tried to clear the air about Curtis' racist remark by claiming he mixed up some names in an attempt to make his "gaffe" seem less racially charged.
During the show, the hosts were discussing a proposal that would ban alcohol miniatures, also known as "nips." Dating back to WWII, the term "nips" has also been used derogatorily as a racial slur against people of Japanese decent or origin, derived from "Nippon," the Japanese word for Japan.
One of the Greg Hill Show's co-hosts asked the others to rank their favorite nips, to which Curtis replied with a grin and look over the shoulder:
"I'd probably go Mina Kimes."
ESPN writer and journalist Mina Kimes is of Korean descent.
You can watch the clip below.
The radio station tried to defend Curtis' remark by telling The Boston Globe they had no comment. They did, however, claim Curtis meant to say "Mila Kunis" instead of "Mina Kimes," which means he was talking about Kunis' nipples, then?
Needless to say, listeners of the broadcast were not okay with either scenario.
Many also acknowledged Curtis' smile after his comment. Oh, he knew.
ESPN issued a statement regarding the comment:
"There is no place for these type of hateful comments, which were uncalled for and extremely offensive."
Kimes issued her own statement, but not with words.
The NFL analyst briefly updated her Twitter profile picture.
@minakimes/Twitter
Well done, Mina. Well done.
On Thursday, Curtis gave an apology on the show, saying:
"We were discussing the potential ban of nips in Boston, and we got into which ones were the best or our favorite, and in a pathetic failed attempt at a one-liner, I attempted to bring up Mila Kunis, which was not really that funny."
"Sophomoric and sexist. But for reasons I don't understand, I said Mina Kimes."
"That was never the intention for me to say her name. It had nothing to do with the subject matter, and it dragged her into a controversy through no fault of her own."
He later added:
"I want to apologize to Mina Kimes. I want to apologize for the stupid, lame attempt at a joke."
Curtis also revealed that he has been suspended from the show through Wednesday.
Here's hoping he learned his lesson.
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