Oklahoma City KOCO anchor Alex Housden offered an apology to her co-anchor James Hackett in an emotional segment after she had compared him to a gorilla during a previous segment.
During a segment about a gorilla at the Oklahoma City zoo, Housden remarked to Hackett, who is an African-American, “Kind of looks like you.” Hackett replied, “It kind of does, actually, yeah.”
She faced backlash from the community, with people calling the station and posting on her Facebook page demanding that she be fired.
“I said something yesterday that was inconsiderate, it was inappropriate, and I hurt people,” Housden said on air. “And I want you to know, I understand how much I hurt you out there and how much I hurt you…I love our community, and I want you all to know, from the bottom of my heart, I apologize for what I said. I know it was wrong.”
Hackett accepted Housden’s apology and said he wanted people to know they are still good friends who talk to each other off the set. He noted that her remark “cut deep” to him and others.
“I guess coming out of this, I want this to be a teachable moment, and that lesson here is that words matter. There’s no doubt about that,” he said.
Hackett called for unity but added people do need to be aware of the harmful stereotypes others face.
