CNN's Kyra Phillips Jokes About Making "Reverse Oreo" With Black Cohost Don Lemon

This afternoon, CNN "Open House" host Gerri Willis came by CNN Newsroom to discuss the economy. Willis joked with anchor Kyra Phillips that if she could predict the stock market, she and Phillips could run off to an island, prompting Phillips' co-anchor, Don Lemon, to ask not to be left out of the girls' getaway. This resulted in the following exchange:

Gerri: Alright Don, you come too.
Kyra: We could bring him along with the girls.
Gerri: Come on!
Kyra: He's paying! Thanks, Gerri.
Don: A little sandwich!
Kyra: Ooh!
Gerri: Whoa, I have to go now!
Kyra: Yeah, good time. You don't want to talk about the reverse oreo!

Willis was visibly embarrassed by Phillips' joke, though Lemon seemed to enjoy it, laughing out loud and announcing, "Oh, she said it! I'm glad she said it."

Watch:

Kyra Phillips and Gerri Willis transformed a segment on the economy into a racially tinged, awkward moment by joking about making a "reverse oreo" with black co-host Don Lemon. Watch! http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1396519189http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=1178199204

From CNN, 1/30

Previously: Kyra Phillips' microphone remains on, streaming her bathroom conversation (about her brother and sister-in-law) over a Bush speech.

Comments

[greymen]

Mm-mm! If he had a twin, I would not remind a reverse-reverse Oreo atall!

[sweetsue]

Phew, good thing Bill Clinton didn't say that or it would be racist. If a Clinton points out that someone is of African-American parentage, he or she is a racist. Otherwise, it's just good, clean fun.

[little]

Where is Sharpton when you need him?

[auramac]

Sad. Fire the lot of them- of course, there are plenty more under-qualified bimbos to take their place. These are not the days of Walter Cronkite and Huntley-Brinkley. Or Tom Borkaw. The media has gone tabloid, the culture is retarded.

[Witchitalineman]

Inappropriate but with so many more important issues like electing Obama to shakeup the status quo it's immaterial. Why am I even commenting on it?

[NeverRepublican]

Mainstream American news has to be the biggest joke on the planet. Now I know how the people in the soviet block felt beind the iron curtian...trapped with jack asses spewing out crap day in and day out...thanks for nothing CNN. We get no news thanks to CNN or the rest of the clown channels.

[sammy333]

I would be much more concerned about a disgusting pro-war/fear mongering bias of CNN. Nothing is wrong with a few light sexual jokes.
For those who were offended: - do not watch CNN, actually never watch CNN's political poison voluntarily.

[jparker500]

I wouldn't mind being the chocolate creme filling in the middle of those two. Why is this offensive again? This is news worthy because it's sexually provocative at best, and hence funny, but not because it is racially offensive. She did not call Don Lemon an oreo...her comment was clearly taken way out of context. Good comedy, shameful news article.

[BadChristian]

For people who still watch this crap, you should know that it is a placebo for news. The objective is continually push what Mathews called a "Pugilistic" system that isn't about coming together.

In other words, if you go elsewhere for your information, you might find out that America, particularly URBAN AMERICA is under cultural attack, and the broadcast news is the voice of propaganda that will NEVER address urban america as anything other than a "little blue island" or a "Black Neighborhood." They will never talk about fixing urban America, they will talk about "Getting out" or "Escaping," because nothing scares them more than the idea of having urban riots without a Bobbly Kennedy to stop the fires. Urban unity will fix America, if America doesn't destroy it.

There's your culture war, America. It's only televised to keep the suburbanites from learning that the reason urban America looks like a warzone is because it is.

[faust2001]

This looks like a "Moment of Zen" to me.
The funniest part is at the end when he switches to "health care crisis" in a straight face.

[BadChristian]

This what they really care about.

There's no need to pretend. This is what the people who watch CNN care about.

CNN : The dullest knife in the drawer. But we have bubble-butts and blondes who like to reverse oreos and we ALWAYS smile.

Cardinal rule, don't be the news... Remember that one. What a joke this country is.

[frappe]

I'm sure that Ted Turner deeply regrets his decision to sell CNN to Time/Warner.

[chronicBob]

Before the introduction of "happy talk" news (I believe by WABC back around 1971) people simply READ the news. It was a straight-forward, no nonsense, conveyence of information.
Since then, lame chit-chat has become an art form in itself.
Call me hidebound and reactionary, but I long for the old days.

[diamndpeace]

My finger smells like fish.

[5bucks]

If this bothered you, you are part of the problem!