Kid Rock apologized for his language, but not his sentiment, during a live TV interview today on Fox & Friends. After he called The View co-host Joy Behar a "bitch," both Fox News anchors and ABC's The View hosts addressed the insult.
Kid Rock talked to Fox's Steve Doocy around 7 a.m. Nashville time -- with the singer joking that he was hopped up on coffee and Baileys. During the interview, with a small crowd behind him, Kid Rock talked about bringing Americans together, except for Joy Behar.
Here's how that part of the conversation played out:
Kid Rock: People need to calm down, get a little less politically correct. And I would say, you know, love everybody except -- except I'd say screw that Joy Behar bitch.The crowd gave a loud cheer.Steve Doocy: You cannot say that.Kid Rock: I mean lady.Steve Doocy: We apologize for that.Kid Rock: I mean lady.Steve Doocy: Listen, she's just got a different point of view from you.Kid Rock: Exactly. Maybe I'll go on and we'll hash it out and talk it out with her. Aside from joking, which I was, it's just go out and hash it out with people. Have your thoughts and ideas, but still be able to have a beer with somebody and just say 'Hey we all love this country.' Let's have different ideas but try to move forward and be more together and realize, at the end of the day, we're all Americans.Steve Doocy: We are all Americans. I agree with that. Well, thank you very much for inviting us here. You apologize for that language, right?Kid Rock: I did apologize for the language, not the sentiment.Steve Doocy: We don't feel that way. We apologize for both.
The Fox News anchors in the studio said they wanted to be there in Nashville, it seemed like a great time -- then added that they apologize for the language, they don't feel that way about Joy Behar.
A few hours later, The View started with discussion of Kid Rock's comments. The View co-host Sunny Hostin opened the Friday show by replaying Kid Rock's clip. She said if you come for one of them, you come for all of them. But Joy Behar looked into the camera and made her own response to Kid Rock:
This bitch and these bitches would be happy to have you on the show and have a beer.
The View co-hosts then briefly discussed what Kid Rock said. Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Abby Huntsman recently joined The View panel and said she approved of how the Fox News co-hosts apologized and handled the situation. Former Fox News contributor Meghan McCain said she knows "Bob" -- Kid Rock's real name -- and this was off-tone for him. Joy Behar was just surprised that Fox News apologized for something.
Kid Rock's comments came a day after Joy Behar celebrated her 20th anniversary as co-host of The View. She suggested, in her own semi-joke, that "Today is a good day for Donald Trump to resign. Twenty years for me, that would be my gift. Donald, do it for me." The View crowd cheered for that. On Friday, Meghan McCain suggested maybe Fox News' apology to Behar would be gift enough.
As The Hollywood Reporter noted, Fox News has tried to make it a priority under CEO Suzanne Scott to cut down on guest remarks that are seen as inappropriate -- such as calling Joy Behar a "bitch" on the morning show. Fox News has been top of the cable ratings for 29 months now, averaging 1.5 million viewers in total day. The View ended its 2017-2018 season with an average of 2.9 million viewers, which was the most since Barbara Walters left the show.
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