Reaching Out with Insults: Bad Idea

Could it be that obesity entertainment television is losing favor? Ask the former employee of a production company who was fired for reaching out with insults to the town of Huntington, WV. In fairness, she was arguably just really getting into her job — recruiting people for a reality TV show about people living “fun, fat, and proud” with obesity in a town that has the highest rates in the nation.

This casting associate for Loud Television (we couldn’t make that one up) had sent an email and social media blast to recruit people with obesity to audition for the new reality show. When the mayor of Huntington objected to the premise of the show, she responded with the tweet on the right and a firestorm ensued.

The real offenders at Loud Television promptly fired their minion and apologized for her:

We apologize for the unprofessional and offensive comment tweeted yesterday by a casting associate. She is no longer with the company, and her views do not reflect the views of Loud Television or its parent company, Leftfield Entertainment. We apologize to the town of Huntington, WV for the rude and insensitive comment, as well as to Mayor Williams.

But they missed the real point. It’s their show’s whole premise that is rude and offensive. They’re pressing on with it in another location, having burned their bridges in Huntington.

Click here and here to read more from the Huntington Herald-Dispatch.

Derogation, photograph © David Goehring / flickr

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July 13, 2015