Networks Ignore Jamie Foxx’s Verbal Attack on Miley Cyrus

The 41-year-old Oscar winner Jamie Foxx dished out some disgusting advice for Disney teen sensation Miley Cyrus, telling her to, among other things, “make a sex tape and grow up.” This tasteless “advice” coming from the father of a teen to a sixteen year-old girl didn’t seem to outrage anyone at ABC, CBS, or NBC.

“The Foxxhole,” Jamie Foxx’s weekend radio show was the forum for a discussion of what makes an artist respectable. Foxx and his co hosts suggested that famous pop idol Miley Cyrus could gain respect as an artist if she would “make a sex tape and grow up... get like Britney Spears and do some heroin... do like Lindsay Lohan and get some crack in your pipe... catch Chlamydia on a bicycle seat.”

As if the “advice” wasn’t enough, Foxx also made fun of Cyrus’ appearance. To assure himself that he had identified the correct Cyrus, Foxx asked his co host, “The one with all the gums? She gotta get a gum transplant… s**t. Uh, uh, let me get an order of mouth, light on teeth, uh heavy on the gum.”

The network morning shows that had been so quick to cover the Don Imus controversy back in April of 2007 didn’t make one mention of the weekend attack. Back in 2007, Al Roker of NBC’s Today Show called for Imus to be fired for his passing racial comment about the African American Rutgers Women’s Basketball Team. CBS did eventually fire Imus for his "racial slur." This time around, silence.

Foxx did apologize to Cyrus on the April 14th broadcast of the “Tonight Show,” but blamed his comments on the fact that he is a comedian who can sometimes take it too far. Here is the exchange between host Jay Leno and Jamie Foxx:

     LENO: “What’s going on with you and Miley Cyrus… did you say something inappropriate?”

     FOXX: “Yeah, I, I so apologize to her, and, and this is sincere, because I, I am a comedian and you guys know that whatever I say, I don’t mean any of it.”

     LENO: “Right.” (Audience laughs)

     FOXX: “And sometimes as comedians as we do, we go a little bit too far … we’re really the black Howard Stern. And so you know, we go at everybody. There was situation with Miley Cyrus and I just want to say I apologize for what I said. I didn’t’ meant it maliciously, and you know, I’m a comedian … Miley, I apologize … I want to nip it in the bud …its just jokes.”

Neither Fox’s personal attack nor revolting advice to the young girl was enough to warrant even a brief mention of the controversy for the network morning shows, let alone a call for his removal as host of the radio show. Apparently, CBS, NBC, and ABC were too preoccupied with segments about the new White House pooch and eco-friendly dinner parties to stick up for the young star.



Colleen Raezler assisted with research for this article.