A morning news anchor for Mississippi NBC affiliate WLBT might be out of a job after quoting a song by the rapper Snoop Dogg on air, according to local media outlets.
The news anchor, Barbie Bassett, was part of a discussion on Snoop Dogg's line of wines, humorously used the phrase "fo shizzle, my n****e," a slang term associated with and popularized by the iconic rapper that was meant to be an embellishment of "for sure, my n****r."
The word "n****r," usually abbreviated as just the N-word, is a racial slur often directed towards people of color, specifically black people, and is considered highly offensive, especially when used by someone white.
Longtime Mississippi news anchor appears to no longer be employed with the news team after saying, "Fo shizzle, my nizzle" on airhttps://t.co/O5tFTsac1g pic.twitter.com/hs01IyVQaL
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) March 24, 2023
Bassett, who is white, has yet to respond to the incident.
Mississippi news anchor's history of racial slur scandals
This isn't the first time Bassett has been entangled in scandals regarding racism.
Back in 2011, Bassett said the N-word on Twitter.
In October 2022, she issued an apology after referring to black reporter Carmen Poe's "grandmammy," a phrase also associated with racism.
"Though not intentional, I now understand how my comment was both insensitive and hurtful. I have apologized to Carmen Poe," she said at the time.
"I can’t mend the hurt my comment caused. I pray you’ll forgive me and that you’ll extend grace through this awful mistake."
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report