'Hawk Tuah Girl' Hailey Welch Gives First Interview Since Rise To Viral Fame, Says She Is Getting Offered Hundreds Of Dollars For Her Spit
There was once a time when America celebrated old white women referencing hip-hop for comedy, but it seems those days may be over if rumors of a recent and contentious Mississippi news anchor's firing are to be believed.
Earlier this month, Barbie Bassett of Jackson, Mississippi station WLBT said "Fo shizzle my nizzle," a catchphrase of Snoop Dogg and a very common meme of the '90s and 2000s.
The moment wasn't entirely without context. Bassett's co-anchor Wilson Stribling cracked a joke saying a colleague might get a Snoop Dogg tattoo like Martha Stewart did in a Super Bowl commercial. Bassett said, "I think that'd be pretty cool. 'Fo Shizzle My Nizzle.'" She hasn't appeared on the air since, and she has been scrubbed from the network's website.
WLBT has not commented on Bassett's absence, telling the New York Post, "As I am sure you can understand, WLBT is unable to comment on personnel matters."
Without comment from the network, the circumstantial evidence seems to indicate that Bassett was taken off the air and potentially fired for saying "Fo Shizzle My Nizzle." If that is indeed the case, many felt that was way too strong a punishment for Bassett. Charlamagne tha God defended her on his podcast, The Breakfast Club, while others online expressed it was hardly an offensive incident.
Others more familiar with Bassett's history thought that if she was indeed fired, it was not just because the network was gravely offended by the "Fo Shizzle" incident, but because Bassett had a lengthy history of toeing the line with racially insensitive remarks.
Six months ago, she apologized on air for addressing a Black correspondent with "girl, sis" and telling her to give some construction workers some "chocolate pie" using a recipe her "grandmammy" must have given her.
Yo Yo Yo
News anchor Barbie Bassett is no longer at WLBT following insensitive racial comments
"girl, sis"
"chocolate pie "
"grandmammy"
"fo shizzle my nizzle"
Welp🤷🏾♀️ pic.twitter.com/JsX2kuXxQt— 💖 Nikki Tha God (@NikkiThaGodB1) March 22, 2023
This gave some people the impression that the "Fo Shizzle" remark was a straw that broke the network's back, and those familiar with Bassett's past were happy to see her go.
Snoop Dogg has also yet to comment on the situation.
Display Comments