It appears a Snoop Dogg lyric may have gotten a Mississippi news anchor fired from her station.
According to a Clarion Ledger report, published on Friday (March 24), WLBT-TV journalist and meteorologist Barbie Bassett was removed from her morning anchoring duties after making a racially insensitive comment. The removal stems from a remark she made using Snoop Dogg’s lyric, “Fo’ shizzle, my nizzle,” during a television newscast earlier this month
Bassett, who is White, used the slogan, which is a colloquialism for the friendly affirmation, “For sure, my n***a.” Veteran rapper and slanguage expert E-40 is credited with birthing the phrase “izzle” during the late 1990s, according to Dictionary.com. Snoop can be heard rapping the catchphrase on his 2002 song “Suited N Booted.”
XXL has reached out to WLBT officials for comment.
WLBT on-air employees declined to comment to Clarion Ledger, instead, they directed questions to management. Neither WLBT nor Bassett has issued an official statement regarding her departure.
This isn’t the first time Bassett has been criticized for making racially-insensitive comments on live television. In October of 2022, she referred to a co-worker’s grandmother as her “grandmammy.” Bassett immediately issued a statement apologizing for the remark.
Last Friday on our newscast ‘Today at 11,’ I used a term that was offensive to many in our audience and to my coworkers here at WLBT. Though not intentional, I now understand how my comment was both insensitive and hurtful. I have apologized to Carmen Poe,” she said at the time. “Now, I would like to apologize to you. That is not the heart of who I am. And for that, I humbly ask for your forgiveness and I apologize to everyone I have offended. I will learn from this and participate in training so I can better understand our history and our people. I can’t mend the hurt my comment caused. I pray you’ll forgive me and that you’ll extend grace through this awful mistake.”
Watch News Anchor Barbie Bassett Say “Fa Shizzle, My Nizzle” Live On-Air Below
