Imus’ Anti-Semitic Rant

Don Imus veered into Mel Gibson territory on the Nov. 30 edition of his morning radio show, when he referred to the “Jewish management” of CBS Radio (which owns Imus’ flagship station) as “money-grubbing bastards.”

Partial Transcript (from Media Matters):

From the Nov. 30 edition of MSNBC’s “Imus in the Morning”:

IMUS: A great hour coming up. The Blind Boys of Alabama are gonna sing a bunch of tunes for us. I mean, they, you know, are just an American treasure.

CHARLES McCORD (co-host): That is not an overstatement.

IMUS: I remember when I first had ’em on a few years ago how the Jewish management at …

McCORD: Mmm-hmm.

IMUS: … at whatever, whoever we work for, CBS, or whatever it is, were bitching at me about it. You know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Careful there, Mel.

IMUS: And, uh — well, not Mel. Mel’s always [unintelligible].

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I meant Mel Gibson.

IMUS: Oh. Well, no, no, that’s not from where I’m coming, obviously.

McCORD: You meant Mel Allen, then.

IMUS: But, uh, you know.

BERNARD McGUIRK (executive producer): They were dissing the handicapped African-Americans …

IMUS: Remember that?

McGUIRK: … who love the baby Jesus.

McCORD: Yes.

IMUS: Remember that?

McGUIRK: Absolutely.

IMUS: We had a meeting in my office.

McCORD: I recall.

McGUIRK: The Blind Boys? No, no!

IMUS: They were furious. But, of course, I don’t care what they say and never have.

McCORD: Yeah.

IMUS: And thank god. What, Bernie?

McGUIRK: Even if you wear a beanie, how can you not love the Blind Boys?

McCORD: These guys.

IMUS: Well, as I — I tried to put it in terms that these money-grubbing bastards could understand.

IMUS: I said — and they’re always worried about my image and all that sort of thing, you know. And I said, “They’re handicapped, they’re black, and they’re blind. How do we lose here?” And then a light bulb just went off over their scummy little heads. And, plus, they’re great!

McCORD: And they are great. Where is the downside? Explain that to me.