 |
| Poor choice of words for Spanish speaking American talk show host. |
The cannon fired today. Inside was Univision talk show host Rodner Figueroa. He got sent out of the tent after he made a racially insensitive comment about First Lady Michelle Obama.
He had the nerve to call the beautiful first lady an ape.
Matter of fact, this fashion critic said that she kind of reminds him of a character from The Planet of The Apes.
Figueroa, who's known for his biting fashion commentary, made his remarks during a live segment of the show El Gordo y la Flaca. The hosts were commenting on a viral video that shows a makeup artist transforming himself into different celebrities, including Michelle Obama. "Well, watch out, you know that Michelle Obama looks like she's from the cast of Planet of the Apes, the movie," Figueroa, 42, said with a giggle.
When hostess Lili Estefan countered with "What are you saying?" and host Raul de Molina said Obama was very attractive, Figueroa defended his remark, saying, "But it is true." In a statement, Univision called Figueroa's comments "completely reprehensible" and said they "in no way reflect the values or opinions of Univision." Figueroa, who in 2014 won a Daytime Emmy Award, did not respond to requests for comment. He worked for Univision for 17 years.
 |
| This isn't the first time some agitator called the Obamas apes. |
But in his statement today, Figueroa said that his comments were intended as a criticism of an unflattering job done by Obama's makeup artist.
"The full video clip in context shows that," he said.
Figueroa referred to his own background in asserting that he's "no racist."
"I come from a biracial Latino family with members like my father who are Afro-Latino," he said.
Figueroa showed contrition, too. He apologized to Obama and said said there's "no excuse" to make a comment "that could be interpreted as offensive or racist during these volatile times we're living in."
Figueroa also used the statement to highlight his voting history.
"I openly voted twice for your husband, Barack Obama, because I consider him a great man who respects minorities like me in this country," he said.
The videos are spoken in Spanish.
