Way Too Early host Thomas Roberts made the poor decision yesterday of airing a special Cinco de Mayo segment in which a sombrero-clad producer pretended to get drunk off tequila while shaking a maraca. Hugo Balta, the president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, called it the "the worst example I have seen of discriminatory stereotypical portrayal of any community by any media," prompting an apology from MSNBC.
"It was not our intention to be disrespectful and we sincerely apologize for the ill-advised references," the network said in a statement. The show's producer told Balta that all employees involved in the segment will be disciplined and ensured him that an incident like this will never happen again.
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