KFI Radio Hosts John & Ken Suspended After Whitney Houston Remarks

The United States Constitution might guarantee freedom of speech, but it doesn’t protect people from the repercussions that result from acting like a jerk while you’re on the job. That sec...
KFI Radio Hosts John & Ken Suspended After Whitney Houston Remarks
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  • The United States Constitution might guarantee freedom of speech, but it doesn’t protect people from the repercussions that result from acting like a jerk while you’re on the job. That second point is even more salient when you work in the media and you tactlessly extol why certain people deserve to die. That was the lesson KFI radio hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou got a taste of this week after they made “insensitive and inappropriate” remarks about Whitney Houston following her untimely death.

    This past Tuesday, Kobylt was talking about how people close to Houston might be secretly reacting to the singer’s death:

    She’s been cracked out for 20 years, and we heard how obnoxious she was these parties, I mean, she’s doing handstands, she’s babbling like an idiot, running around … she’s a mess … She’s been doing this for 20 years…. So, how much of a pain in the ass do you think she was? Can you imagine, you’re CLIVE DAVIS, and she has not been — she has not had her head screwed on right for 20 years? At some point you’re just sick of it all, and so is everybody else in the industry, all her friends and hangers on, everybody who knew had to deal with her, it’s like, ‘ah, Jesus, here comes the crack ho again, what’s she gonna do; Oh, look at that, she’s doing handstands next to the pool. Very good, crack ho, nice.’ After a while, everybody’s exhausted. And then you find out she’s dead. It’s like, ‘really … took this long?’

    The radio station condemned Kobylt’s remarks and issued a public apology to Houston’s family. Additionally, Kobylt and Chiampou have been suspended until February 27 due to Kobylt’s assbaggery. Kobylt offered his own apology, as well, saying they “made a mistake” and that they “accept the station’s decision” to suspend the radio pair.

    As is their wont, people on Twitter reacted. Here’s a sample of what people are saying.

    WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?? #MeanAintCute “Suspended John and Ken apologize for Whitney ‘crack ho’ comments http://t.co/ePrYNn1Y 2 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    This is where you call complain KFI 640am in LA, the ken & john show #CALL 818-559-2252 @johnandkenshow calling Whitney a Crack How 1 day ago via Echofon ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    RT @BigTiggerShow Radio jocks suspended for calling Whitney a ‘crack ho’ <= Why would they suspend him for THAT? Goddamn sensitive… 1 minute ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @TheOnion good story for you: radio station admits it was wrong to suspend DJ for calling Whitney Houston a crack ho, concedes he was right 10 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Ken Clark and John Prescott are like those two old guys off The Muppet Show. In a good way. #bbcqt 19 hours ago via Twitter for Mac ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    So des 2 ppl in LA were tlkin bout Whitney Houston callin her a Crack Hoe n all dey did was suspend dem smh really 3 hours ago via Mobile Web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Was Whitney Houston in fact a “Crack Ho”? Was this something to suspend talk show hosts John & Ken from KFI? WTF?http://t.co/ENFFY3vs 19 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    KFI weenies suspend John & Ken for Whitney Houston remarks: http://t.co/tVuhKN3s 21 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @KFIAM640 REALLY. After all the years of berating people of all races. It’s Whitney that you suspend Jon & Ken over. Way to get it wrong. 18 hours ago via Twitter for iPad ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    KFI Radio Suspend Jon and Ken for Whitney Houston Comments – http://t.co/V0BqeBxO What are people getting out of making comments like this? 20 hours ago via Tweet Button ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @ktla John and Ken should be permanently suspended from the airwaves just for being asshats. 19 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

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