Infamous radio host Don Imus has died at the age of 79. Imus’ death comes over 10 years after he was fired from CBS for his racist comments on the air.
According to the Huffington Post, the disgraced radio host had been hospitalized at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in College Station, Texas since Christmas Eve until his death on Friday. A cause of death has not been released.
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Imus’ show Imus in the Morning debuted on New York radio in 1976 and in the wake of his death, many have praised the controversial host; according to The Hollywood Reporter, Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough thanked Imus saying “Morning Joe obviously owes its format to Don Imus. No one else could have gotten away with that much talk on cable news. Thanks for everything, Don.”
For others, it is hard to forget Imus’ racist remarks in 2007. It was that year that the host called members of the Rutgers women’s basketball team “nappy-headed hos.” Imus’ comments caused a firestorm of protests and many sponsors began to pull out of the program. According to CBS, MSNBC, who also broadcast the show, decided to drop Imus.
Rev. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson were vocal about Imus’ removal, even meeting with CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves.
“He says he wants to be forgiven,” Sharpton said at the time. “I hope he continues in that process. But we cannot afford a precedent established that the airways can commercialize and mainstream sexism and racism.”
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Imus was ultimately let go from CBS Radio.
“There has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society,” Moonves said in announcing the decision.
According to Today, the 2007 controversy was not the first time Imus made racist comments on his show. He has called Bill Rhoden, who is Black and a former sports columnist for The New York Times, a “quota hire,” he also characterized the late Gwen Ifill of PBS’ Washington Week, as a “cleaning lady.”
Imus’ comments did not stop at Black people, he has also been known to make disparaging remarks against Arabs and Jews.
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