Oprah Weighs In On Imus Controversy

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When Oprah Winfrey gets involved you know someone did something terribly wrong. The talk show queen will host the Rutgers University women’s basketball team, who have been in the headlines this past week after being called "nappy headed hos," by syndicated radio/TV host Don Imus.

Although Imus apologized several times for the disgraceful comment he made on air, no one wants to hear it. According to the Associated Press, coach C. Vivian Stringer and the 10 team members will appear live via satellite.

Imus has been under fire since he made his comments last Wednesday but he isn't planning on resigning. I think Oprah should get Imus on her show and give him the smack down! Many critics are calling for Imus to get fired but Imus is defending himself by stating, "I'm not a bad person. I'm a good person who said something bad," and Charles Manson isn't a murderer his hand accidentally slipped. I say fire his ass!

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Reader Comments

3:59AM 08/19/08 Stu

Oprahs astupid nappy haired Ho!

0:30PM 07/23/07 Hassain Adan Jackson

If anyone hears of Oprah's guests foe her Obama fundraiser post the names on one of the Imus websites. oprah has made a fortune pandering to the rappers and comics who use "Ho", the "N" word violence, murder, bitches, etc. Going through a recent list of guests and "Oprah friends" we counted over 233,000 references to these words her guests and "Oprah friends" have uttered publicly. She blamed Imus for this language, but she, in many ways, has fostered this in different ways, Imus is innocent, and he just repeated TWO WORDS that she has tolerated for 25 years. Once we get the stats compiled we are taking full page ads int the New York Times, The WSJ and Variety asking her and Obama to explain her attack on a man who has done more for American children than she will ever hope to do, given their decades old support of this language.

8:09AM 05/03/07 William

So what?! They are nappy headed hoes!! WAAAAAA WAAAAAAA....Poor little bitches!! All of you blacks are fucking hypocrite assholes and if I hear a racist word from 1 in my face, I will no longer let it go. White's are getting sick of you fucking crybabies!!

11:51PM 04/16/07 latrice

And for those of you who post these nasty, foul and uneducated comments who have nothing constructive to say please please go read a book.

11:49PM 04/16/07 latrice

The Imus incident was offensive but when is enough enough. I'm a black girl not African American. African Americans are those who come to this country from Africa who become US citizens. The man has gone on every radio and television station to apologize. He should've been fined suspended or whatever but to take the mans job was way over the top. Why you ask? After the Duke incident Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson blasted these men publicly and never offered any kind of public apology after it was determined the allegations were false. Yet they are still allowed to speak on the same plato as Imus is being denied. If we want equal rights and just treatment we have to hold our so called leaders to the same principles. I'm tired of all this non sense Oprah, Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson are not the only Blacks with and opinion. And if you call yourself a leader than you should at least have a clue on whats really going on in the Black community and not just what you read in the paper or hear in a rap song.

3:01PM 04/16/07 MUMP

FUCK YOU OPRAH!

7:57PM 04/15/07 BW

AND 1 MORE THING, "REVEREND" JACKSON ONLY SHOWS HIS FACE WHEN A RACIST ISSUE COMES UP N BOUT. WHY DOESNT HE EVER COME OUT WHEN A WHITE GIRL IS RAPPED BY A BLACK MAN AND ASK THAT THE BLACK MAN BE FAIRLY PUNISHED. THE OTHER DAY I SAW SUMTHIN THAT PISSED ME OFF: 'BOUT 11 BLACK KIDS BEAT UP 3 WHITE GIRLS REALLY BAD, AND THE BLACK FAMILIES WERE ASKING THEY NOT B PUNISHED. FUCK THAT, IF IT WOULD OF BEEN THE OTHER WAY AROUND THEY'D BE ASKING FOR DEATH. N IF THE PUNISHMENT WOULD OF BEEN 2 SOFT THEY'D RIOT. U BLACK PEOPLE ASK 4 FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE FOR UR PEOPLE. WHUT ABOUT OTHER RACES? THEY CAN'T HAVE FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE WHEN IT COMES 2 GOING AGAINST BLACKS? ITS NEVER UR FAULT. GET UR SHIT STRAIGHT.

7:44PM 04/15/07 black-n-white

2 ALL U BLACK PEOPLE PLS, STOP BEING SO FUCKIN SENSITIVE. UR ALL SO FULL OF SHIT. CUS OF THE SLAVERY ISSUE U EXPECT THE MOST UTTER RESPECT, I DON'T GIVE A FUCK WUT HAPPEND YRS AGO. U R NOT LESS U R NOT BETTER THAN NE1 ELSE. N MOST BLACKS TRY 2 INTIMIDATE PEOPLE B CUZ OF IT. THEY ALWAYS MAKE FUN OF: WHITES CALLING THEM CRACKERS, HISPANICS CALLING THEM WETBACKS, ASIANS GOOKS, ARABS SAND RATS. BUT DON'T LET NE 1 B CLOSE TO CALLING U NIGGERS B CUS U GET READY 2 START SHOOTING PEOPLE. U R SO FULL OF SHIT. U WANT RESPECT EARN IT. U DONT WANT OTHER RACES POCKNING FUN @ U, DONT LET UR OWN KIND DISRESPECT U, N DONT DISRESPECT OTHERS. SO THERE. AND IMUS SHOULDN'T OF BEEN FIRED.

9:05AM 04/15/07 Big guy

uhh... I meant thick

9:04AM 04/15/07 Big guy

OOPS! Please excuse all my misspellings in the previous post. I guess I have think nappy-headed fingers that can't get out of each other's way.

9:02AM 04/15/07 Big guy

It's interesting that Oprah got involved in this because tahe only other time I had ever heard the term "nappy-headed" was on Oprah's show, and uttereed by Oprah herself. Maybe I have led a sheltered life, but that is honestly the only other time I heard that phrase. And I didn't hear Imus say it himself, because I don't listen to guys like him or Howard Stern.

1:20PM 04/13/07 DonnaJ

I say shut the fuck up!

8:39AM 04/13/07 Snow White

@FrustratedInBoston, you can kiss my black "jack" ass! I don't give a fuck if you don't agree with what I said. Fuck you! And regardless of what color you are black, white, green, blue, etc. spit on anybody and you'll get your ass beat down! Stupid Idiot! Racist son of a bitch! Go fuck your sister, fucking trash!

8:32AM 04/13/07 Stop Whining!!!

Stop trying to place the blame of what this asshole said on someone else. Since when did black people become the epitome of what's right or wrong to say and do for the whole fucking country? @ Deepthinker...stupid ass, the nappy headed hoes comment did not come from the Spike Lee movie, it was the "jiggaboo" comment. Which to me was the racist comment. The nappy headed hoes comment was sexist. And I'm sure everybody knows that "jiggaboo" is a racial slur used to describe black people. And before anybody say that "well Spike Lee shouldn't have said it" bullshit, you can't even began to name the thousands of movies that have used the word "nigger" in it. Though I don't think Imus should have been fired, he should have known better than to use the "jiggaboo" comment after saying nappy headed hoes. How could that not be seen as racist when using it like that.

6:53AM 04/13/07 AHHHH

The issue supposedly is that Imus is inciting racist and sexist remarks over the airwaves. I don't see Jackson and Sharpton screaming at the top of their lungs about the perverse, racist, sexist and disguting lyrics these rappers come up with. This is what young people are listening to, not Imus!

6:27AM 04/13/07 FrustratedInBoston

I want to spit on Oprah and all these assholes that have completely overinflated the comments Imus mad and protested for his removal. What Imus said may not be appealing to many people, but that's what the freedom of speech. That's what thousands of soldiers are fighting for across the globe. And to the dumbass comment about stop using rappers as examples of what African-American people say and that they are a few people that don't represent the whole African-American Race. First - it's not a FEW people. Second - It is IRRELEVANT! Nobody is protesting the small amount of artists that use these in their lyrics. What you jackasses don't understand is that it has nothing to do with whether or not you like Don Imus. It has to do with the fact that freedom of speech and choice is the backbone of our society. You people have done nothing but weaken our society and created a double standard.

6:08AM 04/13/07 Deepthinker

Imus provided something for American children on American soil. Maybe Sharpton and Jackson will hold a fundraiser to provide a safe place for those children with diseases, preferably outside the city limits. BTW, the line "Nappy Headed Hos" came from Spike Lee's movie.

5:07PM 04/12/07 Cal

I was going to remain a bystander on this issue until I heard a recap of the woman that is the captain of the team, on the Don Imus show this Wednesday. The line from her speech that got to me the most was something to the effect that “where was all this press and attention when we were a contender in a National Championship”. Ultimately there is only one judge in this world, and more of us should have faith in him versus imposing our own values and words in judgment. I pray that the coach, team and Don Imus are able to work this out. That the strength and legacy, of the coach, and these individuals is what we all remember, not the terrible mistake.

2:59PM 04/12/07 Snow White

PLEASE stop using rappers as the example of what "black" people say about each other! They do not represent the entire black culture. They are just a few people within an entire race of people that say inappropriate things [and people ARE against the things they say but it doesn't get the media attention that this Imus thing is getting], yet people are applying it towards the WHOLE race! No one is calling out the heavy metal rock bands that talk about worshipping satan and that other sadistic shit and applying it towards a WHOLE race. There is a such thing as free will. Hell Imus is a grown, old ass man, who should know right from wrong.

1:13PM 04/12/07 big helmet

Lady J: He's a freakin' shock jock of news/entertainment radio!! That's what he does - he crosses the line. There's no one out there raising cane over Stern! As far as the difference between general and specific targets - that's diluting the topic. The cry of offense isn't citing slander - it's the race card being waived. Besides, are they really all that offended? If they are, I say make your comment of disdain and then toughen up!

1:07PM 04/12/07 big helmet

Right. Now I just wish there were some people out there that were objective enough to state when some people of color are racist too. It's called integrity. Big news flash - Oprah doesn't have any...

1:04PM 04/12/07 LADY J

Yes rappers and singers can say anything they pretty much want because they are not talking about any one woman or group of women specifically. Imus said, "Rutgers' girls look rough, they have tattoos. Rutgers' "nappy headed hos" vs. Tennessee "wannabes." You can say what you want about my comment, but it doesn't matter what context you meant , it is how will your statement be taken. As we all know, if someone is offended it is wrong. Southwest airlines made that known when they put the lady off of their plane after complaints from other passengers, because of her anti-Bush t'shirt

1:00PM 04/12/07 anonymous

he was out of line! PERIOD! now he has got to pay the price.

0:56PM 04/12/07 big helmet

Are comments on their own a crime? I mean, if someone makes a comment that affects their job performance on the company they represent, yes, but is it criminal at face value? No, is my answer. So, the man made comments that some find offensive. Doesn't the market, in a free trade society, take care of that?! NBC may feel it has damaged their reputation. Ladies of Rutgers may have the feelings hurt. None of this means diddly. Tell the guy what you think of him and hurt him in the pocketbook. End of story - stop whining. BTW, "Reverend" Sharpton, "Reverend" Jesse Jackson, and the rest are far bigger racists and a larger threat to peaceful coexistence in this country, than Don Imus.

0:48PM 04/12/07 Scarlett

I everyone (including Oprah) is so outraged where were they on Wednesday after the remark was made !!! Why does it take them a week or more to thing that what was said is so horrible. And, have Rev. Al and Jesse Jackson issued an apology for what they said about the Duke lacrosse players. They crucified them in the media but now they are nowhere to be heard from.

0:34PM 04/12/07 HBIC

So, it's okay to make racists comments???? Well for some reason my mind defers back to the whole Isiah Washington (Grey's Anatomy) situation and how everyone was ready to crusify him and wanted ABC to fire him. I bet the people who think Don Imus should still have a job weren't on Isiah's side!

0:31PM 04/12/07 Der Freshmaker

Whatever happened to "sticks and stones will break my bones..."? Welcome to the real world, people. Don't be such crybabies. There are more important things to worry about, like how white farmers are getting in massacred in South Africa. Why not have a show on that Okra?

0:21PM 04/12/07 Bob

Everyone needs to get over this...he didnt mean it in such a bad way, he siad someting VERY STUPID..yes!! but was it meant in a racist way..no!! cmon!! bottom line is, you had a very pollished Tenesee team who from their coach is very well spoken, and groomed....compared to Rutgers...he should have said it differently.,....should he be fired..NO!! shoudl he be punished...YES!!!...and everyone knows he wont be fired...becsaue the next day he will be bakc on the air at another station getting the same audiance he has!!! working for a company who would love the publicity.....RUTGERS needs to stop soaking this up!! they had a great year...GREAT year...they are taking it a little overboard in wanting people to see that!

0:06PM 04/12/07 big helmet

YEs, the charges were dropped and the NC authorities went further to declare charges should never have been brought against them and that is was the result of an opportunistic DA. Why wasn't the false accuser addressed?

11:47AM 04/12/07 anonymous

the duke guys just got off right?

11:37AM 04/12/07 big helmet

What's the big deal? So every rapper in the world can call ANYONE, ANYTHING they want and it's no big deal, but if a white guy says any of the same stuff, it's racism?! Well, I think this is reverse racism. Further, why isn't someone calling the real 'ho' that singled out those Duke students a racist? Just my two cents...

11:25AM 04/12/07 aaron

now i know that this guy is a fucking idiot, but oprah butts her nose into everything. she thinks she is GOD?

11:19AM 04/12/07 anabanna

i agree charles manson is a murderer!

11:19AM 04/12/07 lana

go OPRAH love her for doing that

11:18AM 04/12/07 mark

HE killed people you dumb fuck, even if he made others do it,hes still a murderer.

11:09AM 04/12/07 kayla

nice try being witty. for the record, charles manson didn't kill people - he convinced other people to kill people for him. before you try to be sarcastic and smart, learn something.

11:08AM 04/12/07 sandra oh

seriously this fucker needs to get fired pronto

10:59AM 04/12/07 Oprah

I wanna spit on this mother fuckers face. Hes so disgusting

10:59AM 04/12/07 mark

GO OPRAH!!!!!! I hate that son of a bitch!