Bashir Quits MSNBC Over Palin Remarks

Martin Bashir has followed Alec Baldwin out of the door at MSNBC after apologizing for offensive remarks that enraged Sarah Palin. Last month, the host called Palin a "world-class idiot" for likening America's debt to China to slavery, and went on to suggest that she deserved the same punishment a plantation owner meted out to slaves—being forced to eat excrement. Bashir, who had been with the network for three years, says he decided to tender his resignation after taking time out over Thanksgiving and meeting with the president of MSNBC.

"It is my sincere hope that all of my colleagues, at this special network, will be allowed to focus on the issues that matter without the distraction of myself or my ill-judged comments," Bashir said in a statement obtained by the Hollywood Reporter. "I deeply regret what was said, will endeavor to work hard at making constructive contributions in the future and will always have a deep appreciation for our viewers." This isn't the first time offensive remarks have gotten Bashir in trouble, Mediaite notes. He was suspended from ABC in 2008 after making sexist remarks in an address to the Asian American Journalists Association, saying he was delighted to be among so many "Asian babes" and adding "I'm happy that the podium covers me from the waist down." (More Martin Bashir stories.)