Never accuse Geraldo Rivera of staying in one place for too long. The dude who gave away U.S.-in-Iraq troop coordinates on live TV is more often-than-not one of the more levelheaded talking heads on Fox News. Recently, he went toe-to-toe with Judge Jeanine Pirro after a racist tirade, in which she blamed immigrants for COVID. The former keeper of Al Capone’s vault also praised a Biden speech, but he was likely miffed by John Oliver’s recent resurrection of their feud (in which the Last Week Tonight host declared that Geraldo looks like “every single Batman Joker rolled into one”).
That had to sting and possibly with lasting effects (I kid, really), but that’s no excuse for Geraldo’s incendiary comment to a Black Fox News guest. During an episode of America’s Newsroom, Leo Terrell and Geraldo got into a sparring match while discussing St. Louis’ first African-American mayor, Tishaura Jones, and her plans for taking on the city’s crime while also tacking police reform. Geraldo’s position was that Jones is being “unrealistic” while executing the dual plan, although he was more optimistic than Terrell, who considers Jones’ approach to be hopeless. Terrell also took issue with Jones arguing to her former rival (Cara Spencer, who is white) that “white allies” do not share Black residents’ “experiences to lead a majority-minority city.” Terrell argued that this was an “insulting” and “racist” stance that he can’t abide by.
More yelling commenced, and that’s when Geraldo interrupted Terrell’s shouting to ask about the most recent time that he had visited “the ghetto.”
https://twitter.com/ryanmasri_/status/1380176172848398341
This led to more shouting with Terrell exclaiming, “How dare you say that!?” From there, no progress was obviously going to be made, but Geraldo did later post an apology on Twitter. “Apologize to @TheLeoTerrell did not mean to imply that he doesn’t get realities of urban life,” Rivera wrote. “Sorry Leo didn’t mean it personally. I wish St Louis’ new mayor the best. She has her hands full in a city beset by violent crime.
Apologize to @TheLeoTerrell did not mean to imply that he doesn’t get realities of urban life. Sorry Leo didn’t mean it personally. I wish St Louis’ new mayor the best. She has her hands full in a city beset by violent crime.
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) April 8, 2021