Many of you have been emailing me with comments and sharing your outrage over Don Imus' firing. Here are a couple of places on the web for Imus fans:
The first is a new website keeping track of the Imus controversy. The site will be posting past audio from Imus' show, to point out some of the hypocrisy of the former guests who are now piling on him. There's a box on the site to sign up to receive e-mail updates. The address is IMUSTRUTH.COM.
Also, a California radio station is refusing to take Imus off the air. They've been airing reruns of his program every morning, mixed in with live calls from listeners wanting to weigh in. KCAA-AM also offers a podcast of the program, updated every day. To go to their website, CLICK HERE.
In these days following the firing of Don Imus from radio and television, I have been appalled to see many of his former regular guests trash him in the press. The trashing is, of course, done somewhat diplomatically: "My Life as a Hypocrite," trumpeted the pull-quote in Frank Rich's column about Imus in Sunday's (4-15-07) New York Times. Other former guests --- many of whom were happy to call him a friend before --- are now seeking to disassociate themselves from him by saying that they only appeared on his show to sell a book, tout a column, or feed their own egos. But they never ---never! --- chuckled at, smiled at, found amusing, or otherwise condoned the other material he featured on his show. All along, they say, they thought he was a crass, piggish, immature, racially-insensitive sexist. They say, "We knew it all along, and we still appeared. We sold out, and we're sorry."
Do you know what this is? It's preemptive apologizing to deflect any residual stigma from flicking up onto them. It's the journalists' version of celebrity rehab.
It's also something else. It's the kind of self-serving opportunism that they say drove them to do his show in the first place. And it's incredibly disingenuous.
I've got news for these newspeople: The Imus controversy is NOT ABOUT YOU! Their arrogance in believing that it IS about them is astounding, although not surprising. Because he's in trouble now, many of these sanctimonious people ---- who profited mightily thanks to him--- are now throwing him under the bus. I won't be one of them.
What he said was offensive. But the man has apologized sincerely and profusely and lost his jobs. These people are trying to fend off some mythical "guilt by association" by playing Simon Peter --- "Not I!" Well. Like Simon Peter's actions, the actions of these former "friends" of Imus speak volumes about their character.
I appeared many times on Imus's show and anchored The Best of Imus on MSNBC. The man has been very good to me --- and to many, many others --- over the years. It's a shame so many others have found it necessary to kick him while he's down as a way to try to elevate themselves.
Don Imus is off to the ranch for the holidays, so Monica will host the best of Imus all this week on MSNBC. Tune from 6am to 9am et on MSNBC for the latest news and some of the greatest moments from Imus and the gang over the past year. Also, Monica's appearance earlier this week on Imus is now available for download for your iPod. Click here for the Monicamemo iTunes page. If you're a regular listener of Monica's podcast, be sure to write your own review on the iTunes page!
Exciting News!!! Monica will be filling in for Don Imus on August 3rd and 4th! She'll host "The Best of Imus" on MSNBC from 6am to 9am et on both days. The shows will be packed with some of the Iman's best interviews and musical guests, along with interviews with Imus' cast of characters, including Rob Bartlett, Charles McCord and Bernard McGuirk. Don't miss it!
Imus: "Do you watch the Sopranos?" Monica: "No, but apparently the story line involves Vito rolling over for his boyfriend, and I couldn't help but think of you with John Kerry during the campaign." Imus also cornered MSNBC President Rick Kaplan during the interview, asking when Monica's new show will air on MSNBC. Listen to the entire interview now by subscribing to the MONICAMEMO PODCAST or by clicking the link for MONICA ON DEMAND.
