MSNBC Fires Rightwing Host Savage for Wishing AIDS on Caller
By Ben Berkowitz
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Cable news channel MSNBC on Monday fired Michael Savage after the controversial talk show host wished AIDS (news - web sites) on a caller whom he dismissed as "one of the sodomites."
Savage had been under fire from gay rights groups since February when the network announced it had hired the conservative commentator to host a TV version of his popular talk radio show.
Saturday's episode of "The Savage Nation," his 15th since the program's debut in March, featured Savage discussing air travel with callers.
One caller began discussing his experiences, and after an unintelligible part of the call, Savage asked him "So are you one of those sodomists?"
When the caller said, "Yes I am," Savage, reclining in a chair with his arms folded and wearing dark sunglasses, responded, "Oh, you're one of the sodomites! You should only get AIDS and die, you pig!" in a clip of the show hosted on the Web site of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
An MSNBC representative was not immediately available to comment, but a source familiar with the matter confirmed that the show had been canceled.
* Now if they can fire Coulter, Hannity and Limbaugh America would be an even more civil and truthful place. |
