Is it too little too late? Rosie O’Donnell used ABC’s “The View” as a venue to make a formal, on-camera apology and directly address the issue of her now-infamous attempt at “humor” by imitating a Chinese person.
O’ Donnell replayed the offending segment, which originally ran December 5th, then issued this statement:
“This apparently was very offensive to a lot of Asian people. So I asked Judy, who’s Asian and works here in our hair and makeup department. I said, ‘Was it offensive to you?’ And she said, ‘Well, kinda. When I was a kid people did tease me by saying ching-chong.’ So apparently ‘ching-chong,’ unbeknownst to me, is a very offensive way to make fun, quote-unquote, or mock, Asian accents. Some people have told me it’s as bad as the n-word. I was like, really? I didn’t know that.”
O’Donnell went on to say that her joke was “never intended to hurt anyone, and I’m sorry for those people who felt hurt or were teased on the playground,” but added that in the future, “there’s a good chance that I’ll do something like that again … Not on purpose.”
I’m just curious–does that sound like an apology to you? The Princeton Review defines “apology” as “an acceptance of responsibility for a wrong, plus a pledge to change one’s ways.”
O’Donnell’s “apology” may be missing a vital component there–you be the judge.
Chances are ex-“View” co-host Star Jones Reynolds wasn’t laughing at O’Donnell’s Chinese accent “joke.” But, then again I’m sure she’s not dwelling on the incident considering how “busy” she has been recently. According to Jones Reynolds (who has long been labeled as a diva), her post-“View” life has been “very fulfilling.”
During a Wednesday interview with reporters Jones Reynolds said she is starting a new chapter of her life by appearing next week as a guest host on “The Michael Eric Dyson Show,” a syndicated talk show owned by the Radio One company, which targets black and urban listeners.
Reynolds went on to reveal that she is producing a couple of specials for networks, but admits she misses being on TV.
“I miss the opportunity to connect,” Reynolds said of having a regular television gig. “I was the host who liked to go into the audience, and that’s why this radio show gives me exactly what I miss. … I still have a lot to say, and I hope that people still wanna hear it.”
Do you?
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