Al Roker: Meteorologist fired for saying racial slur should get ‘chance to apologize’

NBC’s “Today” co-host and meteorologist Al Roker on Wednesday said he believes the meteorologist fired for saying a racial slur should get a “chance to apologize.” 

Local NBC affiliate WHEC chief meteorologist Jeremy Kappell was fired after he described a New York park named after Martin Luther King Jr. as “Martin Luther coon King Jr.” Park on a Friday evening broadcast. 

{mosads}”I think @JeremyKappell made an unfortunate flub and should be given the chance to apologize on @news10nbc,” Roker tweeted. “Anyone who has done live tv and screwed up (google any number of ones I’ve done) understands.” 

I think @JeremyKappell made an unfortunate flub and should be given the chance to apologize on @news10nbc Anyone who has done live tv and screwed up (google any number of ones I’ve done) understands.

— Al Roker (@alroker) January 9, 2019

Kappell previously said that he spoke “too fast” and said the word by accident.

“What happened on Friday, to me, it’s a simple misunderstanding,” Kappell said in a video posted on Monday. “If you watch me regularly, you know that I tend to contain a lot of information in my weathercast, which forces me to speak fast and, unfortunately, I spoke a little too fast when I was referencing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. So fast to the point where I jumbled a couple of words.” 

“In my mind, I knew I mispronounced, but there was no malice,” he added. “I had no idea the way it came across to many people.”

The Rochester Association of Black Journalists has called for a “complete explanation” about what happened. 

WHEC’s vice president and general manager Richard Reingold on Sunday announced that Kappell had been fired. 

“As a result of that broadcast, meteorologist Jeremy Kappell is no longer with News10NBC,” Reingold said in a statement posted on the station’s website. “We believe strongly in holding our reporters and anchors to the highest standard.”