Radio Host Fired After Segment Comparing Black Women’s Skin Tones to Toast
Written by SOURCE on March 25, 2021
A radio host in the Buffalo, New York area has been fired amid the ongoing fallout from his widely criticized show segment in which he compared toasted bread to a number of Black women.
In a clip from the moment in question, per TMZ, 97 Rock’s Morning Bull Show co-host Rob Lederman is heard discussing with his co-hosts what he said was his method for toasting bread.
“I have them to the attractiveness of women that I find to be attractive,” Lederman is heard saying in the clip. “I will never go to a Serena Williams level but I’m very comfortable at a Halle Berry level.” When another host brings up Gayle King, Lederman is heard saying she is “not even on my toaster level.”
Lederman has since been fired by Cumulus Media, the company that owns 97 Rock. Two other co-hosts—Rich Gaenzler and Chris Klein—are said to have been suspended. Gaenzler, meanwhile, is confirmed in a regional WGRZ report to have also been booted from his roles as an on-site host for the Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Bandits.
Buffalo’s Mayor Byron W. Brown shared a statement on Wednesday night in which he “strongly condemned” the racist radio segment.
“The racist commentary made on The Morning Bull show on 97 Rock is outrageous and intolerable,” Brown said. “There is no place in our society for these statements or beliefs. I strongly condemn what these individuals said on the radio this morning.”
A statement from the company reads, “Cumulus Media operates from a clearly-defined set of programming principles and there is no question that Rob Lederman’s comments made on The Morning Bull Show are in direct violation of those principles. We swiftly terminated him and suspended the remainder of the show’s on-air talent. We apologize, and deeply regret the incident.
Complex has reached out to Cumulus Media for additional comment.
Speaking with the Buffalo News, per their report on Thursday, Lederman said he was “horrified” after listening back to the segment in question.
“I could easily see how someone could be offended by that. I get that,” he said. “It sounds terrible, and it is terrible.”
