CNN's much-teased interview with Donald Sterling was broadcast today — with some incredible new doozies from the embattled owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. Sterling lashed out at Magic Johnson, claiming that he had told him to lie low instead of publicly apologizing immediately for the racist comments he made on a phone call with his girlfriend V. Stiviano. But in addition, he attacked Johnson's own morality — for having HIV.
"Well, what kind of a guy goes to every city, has sex with every girl, then he catches HIV? Is that someone we want to respect, and tell our kids about?" Sterling said. "I think he should be ashamed of himself. I think he should go into the background."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sterling also asked Anderson Cooper a rhetorical question: "Did you ever like a girl, and were you ever jealous of her a little bit if she was with other guys?"
Anderson Cooper is, of course, gay — he publicly acknowledged his sexuality about two years ago. (Indeed, it was an open secret for long before that.) However, Cooper did not dwell on this particular aspect of Sterling's question; instead, he proceeded by asking why Sterling had requested that his girlfriend specifically not be seen with black men.