Sports radio host’s racist comments on Serena Williams’ skin tone get him fired

TJ Macias
·3 min read
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A sports radio host in Buffalo, New York, was fired on Wednesday after making a racist remark about a trio of famous Black women during a broadcast.

Rob Lederman, now former co-host of the “Morning Bull” show on 97 Rock, compared toast settings to the skin tones of tennis superstar Serena Williams, actor Halle Berry and broadcast journalist Gayle King.

“I have them to the attractiveness of women that I find to be attractive,” Lederman said. “I will never go to a Serena Williams level. But I’m very comfortable with a Halle Berry level.”

ESPN’s Buffalo Bills beat reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques tweeted a clip of the audio, which sparked outrage.

“There’s already an unfortunate and undeserved stigma attached to dark skin — so for Rob to take something undesirable like burnt toast and compare it to the skin color of any person is reprehensible and feeds into that stigma,” Louis-Jacques tweeted.

Others quickly condemned the racist remarks.

Lederman was fired from the radio station, according to a statement released by Cumulus Media, the company that owns 97 Rock.

He also lost his job as the arena host for the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team, Fox News reported.

Lederman told the Buffalo News that he was “horrified” by his comments after he listened to the recording.

“I could easily see how someone could be offended by that. I get that,” said Lederman, who added, “It sounds terrible, and it is terrible.”

The other two involved in the conversation were host Rich “Bull” Gaenzler and co-host Chris Klein.

WKBW-TV investigative reporter Madison Carter, who tweeted that the conversation “made my stomach physically turn,” called on the Buffalo Association of Black Journalists to address the issue.

The NABJ was quick to respond, saying that “Station leadership @97RockBuffalo can expect a follow up from our board.”