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Dr. Laura Schlessinger Apologizes for Saying N-Word on the Air

Talk-radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger has apologized for using the N-word several times during an on-air conversation with a caller this week."I was attempting to make a philosophical point, and I articulated the 'n' word all the way out — more than one time," she said in her apology, which she read on her show Wednesday and posted on her website. "And that ...

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Joyce Eng

Talk-radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger has apologized for using the N-word several times during an on-air conversation with a caller this week.
"I was attempting to make a philosophical point, and I articulated the 'n' word all the way out — more than one time," she said in her apology, which she read on her show Wednesday and posted on her website. "And that was wrong. I'll say it again — that was wrong."
On Tuesday, Schlessinger received a call from a black woman asking how to handle racist comments from her white husband's friends. The caller also asked if the N-word is offensive.
Schlessinger said "black guys use it all the time," and repeated the word a few times, but she never directed it at the caller. When the caller objected, Schlessinger said, "Oh, then I guess you don't watch HBO or listen to any black comedians."

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After the caller said she was upset Schlessinger had used the racial epithet, the host suggested the caller was hypersensitive. "If you're that hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry out of your race," she said on-air."I, myself, realized I had made a horrible mistake, and was so upset I could not finish the show," Schlessinger said in her apology. "I pulled myself off the air at the end of the hour. ... I am very sorry. And it just won't happen again."Schlessinger added that she is touched by many of the letters she has received since the incident."Even though many of you were upset, you still showed friendship for all the years we've been together on the air, and for that, trust me, I am very grateful," she said.