It appears that a Mississippi news meteorologist with a history of saying the exact wrong thing to Black people has gotten the boot after she made an ill-advised reference to rapper Snoop Dogg while on air.
According to Deadline, Barbie Bassett has not been on the air for NBC affiliate WLBT since March 8, the day she made what she probably thought was a clever quip about the idea of a Snoop collaboration with a newsroom journalist.
“Fo shizzle, my nizzle,” Bassett, who is, well not Black, said.
OK, OK — just wait a second, guys. Maybe Bassett simply didn’t understand what the “n” in “nizzle” actually stands for.
She might have been thinking, “For sure, my nephew.” Or maybe she had no idea what any of it was translating.
“For sanctuary, my neighbor.”
“For social studies? My notebook!”
“For shares and sh*t, my network.”
“For Sizzler, my napkin.”
She could have thought she was saying any of these things.
But, again, this is apparently not Bassett’s first racist slip of the noose…I mean, tongue.
From Deadline:
The station’s chief meteorologist as well as anchor, Bassett has previously caused controversy with a comment, referring to a black reporter’s “grandmammy” on air. She later apologized.
She is no longer listed on the station’s website, according to the Clarion Ledger. And Bassett has not shared anything on Twitter since the same day – her silence including this weekend when a deadly tornado struck Mississippi, sparking huge chatter among meteorologists.
Naaaah, but hold up! Let’s be clear, Bassett didn’t just tell a Black reporter to consult her “grandmammy” about a “chocolate pie,” but she began her remarks by saying “giiiiirl” and “sis'” in the whitest ways you have ever heard those words uttered.
https://twitter.com/GLAMbiana/status/1639546335274717184
Bruh, my secondhand embarrassment has secondhand embarrassment.
In both videos, Bassett clearly leaves her poor co-stars bowing their heads and looking around nervously as if they’re trying to dodge the ricochet backlash they know Evil Barbara Walters is generating for herself with every word that comes out of her mouth.
It’s unclear if Bassett was actually fired, suspended or what, but if she wasn’t fired, this meteorologist’s future likely depends on her ability to withstand the storm (see what I did there?) her unmitigated caucasity has created.
I’m just saying, she might be looking for a job at Fox News soon.
—
Photo: WLBT News Mississippi/ Barbie Bassett’s Facebook Page / Barbie Bassett Facebook
