In one of the early exchanges between Craig and Smokey in “Friday” Craig and Smokey discuss Craig’s employment status. “Smokey: Thought you had the day off yesterday? Craig: I did. Boss called me around 3 o clock …fired me on the spot. Smokey: …. You’ve got to be one stupid …. to get fired on your day off!” Via the movie Friday
The funny lines that launched the Friday movie franchise are now Former Fox sideline reporter Emily Austen’s reality.
Austen was a sideline reporter for Fox Sports covering both the Tampa Rays and the Orlando Magic. Austen appeared on an internet podcast Thursday during which she spewed a litany of racist, bigoted small-minded comments seemingly without any regard to her professional career or employment status. It took her 35 minutes to damage a career she spent a lifetime building. Though Austen had a small amount of success in sports the likely hood of her being able to overcome her comments is slim. Howard Cosell, and Jimmy the Greek never outlived the aftermath of their comments. Paula Dean and Mel Gibson have started the long climb back to celebrity after being ostracized for their insensitive racial comments in recent years. Emily Austen was a competent reporter but she was no Jimmy the Greek, Howard Cosell, or Paula Dean. In reality she was just a young woman appearing on a podcast who got a little too comfortable, a little too free with her words on a live social media telecast.
There are consequences that must be paid. People like to invoke the First Amendment right to free speech. Just so we’re clear the First Amendment gives you the right to say whatever you want whenever you want to say it, but it doesn’t protect you from the consequences that result from you not having enough sense to filter yourself. Corporations might be willing to stand in the fray with you if you’re an icon like Howard Cosell, Jimmy the Greek, or Paula Dean. They are not going to risk their advertising dollars, and brand image for a 27-year-old woman who lost sight of the big picture and woke up on Thursday June 9, 2016 and decided today is a great day to sabotage my career. Austen was an equal opportunity offender during the video. She didn’t leave many out during her live rant. Here are a few of her comments: “
Via Deadspin & Barstool:
- That she “didn’t even know that Mexicans were that smart.”
- How the “Chinese guy is always the smartest guy in math class.”
- About how she “used to talk to Jews in Boca” when she was a server, saying one customer was “stingy” because he complained about how she poured his beer and that “they would complain and b—- about everything.”
Austen, 27, also referred to Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player Kevin Love as a “little b*tch” multiple times.
Immediately after learning of Austen’s comments during the podcast Fox sports issued the following statement: “We were made aware that Emily Austen appeared in a social media video unaffiliated with FOX Sports in which she made insensitive and derogatory comments. She was not speaking on behalf of FOX Sports, nor do we condone any of the statements she made in the video. Emily has been advised that her comments were unacceptable, and she is not scheduled to appear on any upcoming FOX Sports Florida or FOX Sports Sun broadcasts.” On Friday afternoon after having a chance to view the podcast in its entirety Fox officially terminated Austen.
Austen’s comments were streamed live via Facebook Live on the Sports Barstool Daily Rundown show. After a backlash from viewers the video was removed from Facebook. Heads up guys deleting something from the internet doesn’t always save you. The video was uploaded to VIMEO, leaked to Bleacher Report and sent to Fox News before the video was removed in its entirety from Facebook. Towards the end of the interview Barstool’s Dan Katz told Austen, “We might have to hire you because you’re going to get fired.” Well Em, hopefully Katz was serious.
I can only assume Austen thought her words wouldn’t reach Fox since the podcast was pretty low-key. In fact, the first nine minutes of the video are filled with camera adjustments, bad audio and bad lightning as the cameraman struggled to get the camera setup properly. Kevin Draper of Deadspin found the 35-minute podcast and posted it here.
Did Fox do the right thing or are they just caving to an overly sensitive politically correct society? Are you team Emily, or team Fox? I support her 1st Amendment right to say whatever she pleases as long as she can live with the repercussions. Let me know what you think in the comment section. Let us know in the comments if you’re team Emily, or Team Fox.
Ice Cube, D. P. (Writer), & Gray, F. G. (Director). (1995). Friday [Motion Picture].
