Two radio jockeys from New Jersey were suspended on Thursday after repeatedly calling the state’s Attorney General Gurbir Grewal a “turban man” on air. Grewal, the first Sikh American to hold the post, responded on Twitter, saying he had to ask his daughters to “turn off the radio”.
Hosts Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco, who made the comments during an episode of The Dennis and Judy Show on New Jersey 101.5 radio on Wednesday, were discussing Grewal’s recent order to suspend marijuana prosecutions in the state, reported ABC News. Malloy said he could not remember the attorney general’s name. “I’m just going to say the guy with the turban,” he told Franco.
At one point, Malloy said, apparently referring to Grewal: “Listen, if that offends you, then don’t wear the turban, man, and I’ll remember your name.” Both radio jockeys then referred to Grewal as the “turban man” throughout the show.
The station said it “took these comments seriously” and suspended Malloy and Franco. They will return on August 6.
Subsequently, the duo apologised to Grewal as well as the Sikh and Asian communities, accepting the comments were “off the mark”. “It was a mistake we both deeply regret,” they said. “We respect all cultures and beliefs and are deeply sorry for the pain caused to the Sikh community, our co-workers, and our beloved listeners.”
Addressing the apology and the suspension, station President Ron DeCastro said, “Dennis and Judi are known for their plainspoken brand of humour, but in this case, the language used was clearly demeaning and inappropriate.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said the on-air comments amounted to “hate speech” and he was “outraged by the abhorrent and xenophobic comments mocking Grewal”.
Calling the comments “ignorant and outrageous”, Cory Booker, a Democratic Senator from New Jersey, tweeted, “Bigotry has no place, religious intolerance no harbour.”
Grewal said that it was “time to end small-minded intolerance”. “This is not the first indignity I have faced and it probably won’t be the last,” Grewal said. He also thanked Murphy, Booker, and people of the state for their support.
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