Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, issued a 40-second on-air apology Friday morning for calling Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a “butt boy,” in remarks that were widely criticized as homophobic. Shortly after the show began at 6 a.m. ET, Brzezinski said: “I wanted to address a term that I used on this show on Wednesday that was vulgar. I knew it right away and I tweeted that it was a terrible choice of words and that I was sorry. But, please allow me to say this face to face: The term is crass and offensive and I apologize to everyone, especially the LGBTQ community and to my colleagues for using it. It was a mistake. My father would have found it so unbecoming and disrespectful and he would have told me. I will work hard to be better. But I just wanted to say, on camera, looking the viewer straight in the eye, I am really, really sorry. So, now to the news.” Brzezinski used the term after Pompeo said the CIA’s conclusion was inaccurate that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “Why doesn’t Mike Pompeo care right now?” she asked. “Is that a patriot speaking, or a wannabe dictator’s butt boy?”
