Rick Sanchez Apologizes: Anchor Issues Statement, Apology For 'Inartful' Comments

Nearly a week after making the controversial comments that got him fired from CNN, Rick Sanchez released a statement Wednesday apologizing for what he called "inartful," "tired and mangled" words that he said "were never intended to suggest any sort of narrow-mindedness and should never have been made."

In his statement, Sanchez said he had personally apologized to Jon Stewart, whom he called a "bigot" in his comments last week. He also said that he left CNN with "no hard feelings - just excitement about a new future of opportunities," and will continue on his current book tour.

The "tired and mangled" statement would appear to back up what Sanchez's wife, Suzanne, wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday. In it, she blamed Sanchez's "exhaustion from working 14 hr days for 2 mo. straight."

Below, see the full statement from Sanchez:

On October 4th, I had a very good conversation with Jon Stewart, and I had the opportunity to apologize for my inartful comments from last week. I sincerely extend this apology to anyone else whom I may have offended.

As Jon was kind enough to note in his show Monday night, I am very much opposed to hate and intolerance, in any form, and I have frequently spoken out against prejudice. Despite what my tired and mangled words may have implied, they were never intended to suggest any sort of narrow-mindedness and should never have been made.

In the aftermath of these comments, CNN and I have decided to part ways. However, I want to go on record to say that I have nothing but the highest regard for CNN and for my six wonderful years with them. I appreciate every opportunity that they have given me, and it has been a wonderful experience working for them. I have tremendous respect for everyone there, and I know that they feel the same about me. There are no hard feelings -- just excitement about a new future of opportunities.

I look forward to my next step with great anticipation.

Comments

[truthisneeded]

02:42 AM on 10/11/2010

Rick Sanchez according to CNN

http://yfrog.com/62sanchezcnnj

[truthisneeded]

03:44 AM on 10/10/2010

Great job "New York Magazine"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/08/rick-sanchez-i-screwed-up_n_755502.html

[truthisneeded]

03:59 AM on 10/10/2010

and

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/10/jon_stewart_and_his_jewish_cab.html

Jon Stewart and His Jewish Media Pals Aren’t Fooling Rick Sanchez

10/1/10 at 1:51 PM
155Comments

Jon Stewart and His Jewish Media Pals Aren’t Fooling Rick Sanchez

Photo: CNN

Oh, good, it's time for another round of Which Minorities Have It Worse! When it comes to the media, the Jews historically lose this game — a fact that has not escaped the attention of marginalized CNN anchor Rick Sanchez. In an interview on Sirius Radio yesterday, Sanchez, who is Cuban-American, decried the major media networks (run by Jews), "elite, Northeast establishment liberals" (de facto Jews), and Jon Stewart (America's favorite Jew). Do you think Sanchez doesn't know what those people think of him when they see him hosting his nationally televised show, Rick's List, for two hours every weekday on CNN? "Deep down, when they look at a guy like me, they see a guy automatically who belongs in the second tier, and not the top tier." But which Jew best epitomizes this sneering disdain? ...

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/10/jon_stewart_and_his_jewish_cab.html

[truthisneeded]

04:12 AM on 10/10/2010

Correction

Great job "New York Magazine"

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/10/jon_stewart_and_his_jewish_cab.html

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/10/rick_sanch­ez_promote­s_jon_stew.html

[truthisneeded]

01:22 AM on 10/10/2010

I posted this somewhere else in the HuffPo but I think it adds value to mention in this thread that refers to Sanchez's firing by CNN. There is a myth that Sanchez called his bosses bigots and that is the reason or a main reason why he was fired.

Sanchez never called his bosses "bigots" and never implied or meant it as some say.

Sanchez said Stewart is a bigot (I think that Stewart is a coward and racist).

Sanchez used the word "they" to refer to the elite running the whole US media industry today and was trying to make two points

1) contrast his underprivileged minority background, poor and without Ivy League education, with the backgrounds of the people running the US media industry today ("they").

"They" usually have a degree from an "Ivy League" school. This includws establishment schools, like William and Mary where Stewart went, that are not technically Ivy League.

2) that Jewish people have a lot of power in media and are usually very well educated;

This was to respond to Dominick's claim that Stewart and Jewish people are an oppressed minority in today's US media.

He tried to say that he comes from a real underprivileged background so that he is part of an oppressed minority.

So many people posting on the Huffington Post say that Sanchez called his bosses bigots; repeated so many times that people including myself were starting to believe it.

[anothervoice]

07:36 AM on 10/09/2010

CNN should hire more journalists and fewer pretty faces.

[anothervoice]

07:34 AM on 10/09/2010

(Channeling Ted Baxter:) ...now, please, Pleeeeeze, PLEEEEEZE or Pretty Please let me have my job back.

[vetxcl]

01:39 PM on 10/08/2010

thaaat's nice. they kissed and made up. so after the book tour is he going to work for faux noise?

[diogeneslives]

11:53 PM on 10/07/2010

I'm sorry. I should have been more artful in calling Jon Stweart a biggot.

[truthisneeded]

01:01 AM on 10/08/2010

haha Ricardo is awesome

[nokaoi]

01:56 AM on 10/08/2010

make that 79 fans...let's cut to the chase here..good comment.

[littlebrowngirl]

10:33 PM on 10/07/2010

Why are you so stupid Rick?

[caweav]

06:58 PM on 10/07/2010

I love that Jon Stewart continually tells the news media that it isn't doing its job but sadly, their representatives never seem to hear what he says. Most of the CNN newsreaders add no value whatsoever. Rick fell into that trap. I hope he can recover and become a true professional newsperson.

[dblohangel]

12:53 PM on 10/10/2010

" I hope he can recover and become a true professional newsperson. "
Challenging to do with foot in mouth and cocktail in hand....

[truthisneeded]

05:57 PM on 10/07/2010

Great job Ricardo! Keep it up

[doctora chiripa]

06:48 PM on 10/07/2010

Good to see you, truth is needed, and you speak it.

[namdlogd]

08:29 PM on 10/07/2010

Truth? You mean that everybody knows that the bird is the word.

[truthisneeded]

08:30 PM on 10/07/2010

good to see you too

[uniwarp]

05:42 PM on 10/07/2010

do we trust these hypocrites with our news when don lemon still keeps his job.


"Patel:  I have to tell you that this seems a little like telling black people 50 years ago:  you can sit anywhere on the bus you like - just not in the front.
Lemon:  I think that's apples and oranges - I don't think that black people were behind a Terrorist plot to kill people and drive planes into a building.  That's a completely different circumstance. "

to imply that jews run the media gets you fired.
to imply that muslims are terrorists, not so much.

[Dan Garfinkel]

04:54 PM on 10/07/2010

Rick, please see Lawrence O'Donnell for lessons in apologizing.

[lotus321]

04:51 PM on 10/07/2010

Don't like rick, but I am still having trouble seeing the fault in his comments..per se.

[dblohangel]

01:45 PM on 10/10/2010

I think Rick, as a journalist, is woefully inadequate. He did, however, have the temerity to point out the emperor has no clothes...and since the tailors are in charge of the assylum he was 86d.

He made the salient point, regardless of how awkwardly he made it--after all he's a very white looking Cuban man who could change his name and pass...there are an insufficient number of minority persons on the cable and broadcast stations in primetime. That is a fact. The programming in primetime for broadcast and cable channels, whether news or entertainment do not reflect the numbers of blacks, hispanics, native americans or asians who are in the viewing audience.

[zfire]

04:20 PM on 10/07/2010

I have decided to part ways. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH HAHAHAHAH... Dude, you were fired.

[truthisneeded]

04:37 PM on 10/07/2010

thats inartful

[vetxcl]

01:46 PM on 10/08/2010

he's just jealous, because he can't part seas.

[Max Shaw]

03:20 PM on 10/07/2010

You didnt DECIDE to part ways..there was no handshake. You were fired. All because you thought Mommy and Daddy werent listening to your radio show.