News programs generally have a defined schedule and format, giving you the top stories along with regular segments. But live TV means sometimes things don't go exactly to plan—and there's no time to edit out any flubs or awkward moments. That's why Fox News anchor John Roberts was prompted to issue a formal apology for a comment made on-air last week. Read on to find out why Roberts "deeply regrets" his statement.
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Chris Christie recently announced his entry into the 2024 presidential election.
Joseph Sohm / ShutterstockLast week, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie confirmed he is entering the race for the Republican nomination in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, The New York Times reported.
After the news broke, Roberts was discussing Christie's entry and his chances against former president Donald Trump, who is also running, during a segment of Fox News' America Reports. It was then that Roberts made a less-than-kind analogy.
The jab was directed at Christie's physical appearance.
ABC NewsIn a clip of the segment posted on Twitter, Roberts compared both Christie and Trump to milkshakes in an effort to explain how the former governor's entry will affect voter numbers.
"If the Republican Party is two milkshakes, and this one representing almost half the party—because that’s what the polling shows—has got one straw in it, and that’s Donald Trump’s straw,” Roberts said, explaining that the other milkshake represents the "non-Donald Trump" side of the party, which has multiple "straws," or other GOP candidates.
At that point, Roberts' co-hosts looked uncomfortable, but the anchor continued. He added, "Now we’re gonna have Chris Christie’s straw in there, and judging by Chris Christie’s physical stature, he could drink a lot of that milkshake if he wanted to."
As the jab took aim at Christie's weight, correspondent Gillian Turner said "ouch" in response before the conversation moved on.
It didn't take long for Roberts to apologize.
Later on during the June 6 America Reports broadcast, Roberts apologized for his statements, calling them "hurtful."
“I just want to take a moment to address something, because I really do feel terrible about it,” Roberts said. “Earlier on the show, I was making an analogy to describe the Republican voter pool, and I made a comment that I meant to be light-hearted, but immediately realized was hurtful toward Governor Chris Christie. I should not have said what I said. I deeply regret it and I sincerely apologize to the governor.”
Roberts isn't the only news anchor in hot water.
Eyewitness News ABC7NY / YouTubeWhile Roberts was quick to apologize in the hopes of moving on, other local news anchors are still enmeshed in their own PR crises.
ABC7 anchor Ken Rosato made headlines last month after he was caught calling his co-anchor Shirleen Allicot an offensive word on a hot mic. The flub immediately cost him his job, and while his representatives denied any "racial slur," the news anchor has yet to issue a formal statement on the situation.
And last week, Frank Somerville, former anchor for Fox-affiliate KTVU in Oakland, California, was also in the news after he was arrested twice in one night.
According to police reports, he was first arrested on June 5 following a "family altercation" and taken to the Berkeley jail on suspicion of criminal threats, battery, public intoxication, and probation violation. Upon his release, however, he returned to the home where he was first apprehended, and was arrested yet again for driving under the influence.
In a statement to The Berkeley Scanner on June 6, Somerville said he "wasn't drunk," adding that the dispute was a "family affair."
