Apparently it is only white men who can express themselves passionately and not be knocked for it (see Bill Maher, Chris Matthews, John Madden).
Today-show anchor Al Roker is reportedly in hot water with NBC brass over his exchange with co-host Billy Bush over admitted liar Ryan Lochte, a tête-à-tête that went viral in the days following.
“He lied to you, he lied to Matt Lauer, he lied to his mom,” Roker said to Bush on the Today show last week after Lochte was caught saying he was held up at gunpoint while partying in Rio during the Olympic Games.
As Maury Povich says, that turned out to be a lie.
Page Six reports that Today execs and some “on-air talent” (hmmm, wonder who?) were unhappy with the on-air conversation, possibly because the U.S. Olympic committee reportedly wasn’t thrilled, either (NBC has the rights to the Olympics until 2032, a deal worth billions).
“It was a great thing to watch online, but a lot of NBC staff thought that he took it way too far for something that, while it was certainly a legitimate issue and certainly bad behavior by Lochte, outrage to that level just wasn’t justified,” a source told Page Six.
Roker, being a black man in America, who has seen more than his share of discrimination and double standards firsthand, probably saw Lochte’s actions as indefensible, crass and unbecoming of a celebrated Olympic athlete (as most of the rest of the world—and apparently his sponsors—did.)
But, you know, when in doubt, blame the black guy.
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