A New Jersey radio station indefinitely suspended two show hosts after they referred to the state’s Sikh attorney general as “turban man.”
Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco, hosts of 101.5 FM’s “The Dennis & Judi Show,” were removed from the air indefinitely on Wednesday night.
{mosads}”We are aware of the offensive comments made by Dennis and Judi during today’s broadcast,” the station said in a Thursday statement. “We have taken immediate action and have taken them off the air until further notice. We are investigating the matter and will have further comment shortly.”
The suspension came hours after the mid-day hosts used the term to refer to state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.
The pair were discussing Grewel’s recent order to suspend marijuana prosecutions on-air when Malloy said he couldn’t remember Grewal’s name.
“I’m just going to say the guy with the turban,” he said. “Listen, and if that offends you then don’t wear the turban and maybe I’ll remember your name.”
Malloy and Franco both called Grewal “Turban Man” for the remainder of the segment.
“Is that highly offense? Could be. But if you call me ‘baseball hat man’ in a culture where nobody wears baseball hats, and they call me ‘baseball hat man,’ should I be offended?” Malloy continued. “No.”
“No, I would say no,” Franco agreed.
Grewal is the first Sikh in the state to hold the position of attorney general.
The hosts immediately faced widespread backlash following their comments.
Gov. Phil Murphy (D) accused them of making “abhorrent and xenophobic” comments, according to news site NJ.com.
“Hate speech has no place in New Jersey, and it does not belong on our airwaves,” Murphy said in a statement. “Station management must now hold the hosts accountable for these intolerant and racist comments.”
Grewal himself responded to the comments on Twitter Thursday morning.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Jersey even released the pronunciation for Grewal’s name on Twitter.
“Turban man? Is that offensive?” The group tweeted in response to Malloy’s question. “Yep. (If you have to ask…)”
Neither Malloy or Franco responded to NJ.com’s request for comment.