7 Times Racism Lead Talk Show Hosts To The Unemployment Line

By Essence ·March 30, 2021March 30, 2021

Every workplace is full of microaggressions and hostility, but when millions of people are listening consequences can come quicker. Several talk show hosts across mediums have parted ways with their platforms after saying something racist in the public eye.

Sometimes they made the comment on the air, other times they showed out on social media but the end result was the same – they were out of a gig.

Here are seven talk show hosts who probably wish they had just sat there and ate their food.

01Piers MorganMorgan ended his relationship with ITV’s Good Morning Britain after his comments about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Oprah interview landed him in hot water.

GettyImages-1306272294 02Sharon OsbourneSharon Osbourne demanded Sheryl Underwood educate her when her caping for pal Piers Morgan led to her being at odds with her co-hosts. The incident led to a series of complaints about Osbourne’s previous behavior and her ultimate departure from the show.

03Rob LedermanLederman thought it was appropriate to compare his toast to the skin tones of Serena Williams, Halle Berry and Gayle King. He later claimed to be “horrified,” by his own comments after receiving the axe from Buffalo’s 97 The Rock.

04Don ImusThe late right-wing radio host was let go from CBS in 2007 when he labeled the athletes on the Rutgers University women’s basketball team “nappy-headed hos” and “jigaboos.”

05Kimberly Ray and Berry BeckThe duo of radio hosts were relieved of their duties as a result of holding a n-word ladden conversation where Black Lives Matter protestors were repeatedly referred to as thugs.

06Dianna PlossFormer Nashua radio host Dianna Ploss was snatched off the air at WSMN after sharing a clip of herself instructing a landscaping crew to communicate in English and mocking a Black man who attempted to defend them. The station later distanced themselves from her antics further by clarifying that she was a client and not an employee.

07Dave LenihanLenihan claimed a “slip of the tongue,” caused him to say “c**n” instead of “coup,” when speaking about former Secretary of State CondoleezzaRice, but the alleged error still cost him his dream job.