Carson Daly: JetBlue Gay Joke Leads to Criticism and Apology
Reputable television host Carson Daly has issued a public apology over comments he made insinuating that if the passengers aboard JetBlue flight 191 were gay they would not have subdued the erratic pilot.
During Daly's radio show on Wednesday he made a reference to the JetBlue flight which was diverted to a Texas airport after the pilot began to behave erratically, ranting and terrifying passengers.
Daly stated that some of the passengers were headed to a security conference in Las Vegas when they were called upon by flights attendants to help subdue the pilot, Capt. Clayton Osbon.
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Daly then proceeded to comment that if the plane had been going to the San Francisco gay pride parade that they would have been unable to help in the situation.
"With my luck, it would be like … this is the flight going to [the gay pride parade] in San Francisco," he said.
The host continued, exclaiming "that would be my colleagues … 'Uh, we're headed down to Vegas for the floral convention … could we get a little help up here with the pilot?' Uh, no … handle it,'" Daly said as he raised the pitch of his voice to emulate a stereotypical effeminate voice for their response.
"The world has its share of strong, heroic gay men," Alice Hoagland, whose son, Mark Bingham was on flight 93 during the 9/11 attacks. Her son is credited with trying to fight the hijackers of that flight before it crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pa.
"Gay men in sports uniforms and military uniforms have been winning America's games and fighting America's battles for a long time," Hoagland said.
Daly apologized in a statement to the gay advocacy group GLAAD, stating: "I've long been a supporter of gay and lesbian rights, and I'm saddened that my comments, however unintentional, offended anyone, specifically members of the LGBT community. The fact that I have hurt anyone is devastating."
