After expressing his “c.o.n.tr.o.v.e.r.s.i.a.l” feelings toward Joy Behar, co-host of The View, Kid Rock is standing his ground and refusing to retract or apologize.
During a Fox & Friends program, Kid Rock violated the TV censorship rules. Like it or not, the native of Michigan has strong political opinions that he isn’t afraid to express. That became very clear when Rock, real name Robert James Ritchie, launched into a tirade against “political correctness.”
“You know and simply talk about things without attacking each other and protesting everything; God forbid you to say something slightly off-base; you’re r.a.c.i.s.t, h.o.m.op.h.o.b.i.c., Is.l.a.mo.p.h.o.b.i.c. This, that, and the other,” Rock said to co-host Steve Doocy of Fox & Friends. “People need to stop being so politically correct and chill down. And I would add, “Love everyone,” he continued. With one exception: “Sc.rew that Joy Behar,” I’d say. Everyone except that
Naturally, there was a lot of uproars when Kid Rock called Joy Behar the “B-word” on live television. The host, Steve Doocy, apologized to the audience right away. Rock didn’t give up, though. While still letting the world know precisely how he felt about Joy Behar, the contentious rocker did tone down his depiction of her slightly.
“Lady, I mean. I mean, lady,” Rock chuckled. “Perhaps we’ll continue, and I’ll argue my case with her and chat to her about it. In addition to joking, which I did, you should just talk to people about it, share your opinions, and be able to share a beer with them while still saying, “Hey, we all love this nation.”
“You do apologize for that profanity, right?” Doocy questioned. I did apologize for the vulgarity, Kid Rock said in response. The sentiment, not so. The Michigan musician is essentially saying “sorry, not sorry.” Despite not apologizing for his genuine views for Joy Behar, he did regret for uttering the “B-word” on public television.
His forays into the political correctness debate are not new to him. Kid Rock had a message for the protesters who gathered outside the Detroit Historical Museum, which holds a Kid Rock exhibit, and demanded that the musician stop flying the Confederate flag.
According to Rolling Stone, Kid Rock wrote a statement to Fox News asking them to pass along his request to those protesting in his hometown of Detroit to “kiss my ass” and “ask me some questions.” The artist chose the Confederate flag to emphasize his 2012 album, Rebel Soul, even though he was born and reared in Michigan, a Union state during the time of the Civil War.
“Rock has withdrawn to his estate in rural Alabama in recent years. Rock also performed on a lot of Lynyrd Skynyrd tours, another Southern band that frequently displayed the Confederate flag, according to Rolling Stone. Since Rock’s son Robert Ritchie Jr. is biracial and, as of December 2014, the First Kiss singer also has biracial grandchildren, Kid Rock aligns himself with the flag’s Southern pride meanings rather than its racial overtones, according to Fox News.
Despite the controversy, the rock star was supported by the Detroit Historical Museum, which claimed that his services to the city of Detroit outweighed his use of the Confederate flag, which is not at all represented in the exhibit.
The Kid Rock Music Lab is one of the 10 ongoing exhibits at the Detroit Historical Museum, according to a statement from the institution. “Kid Rock has made a substantial contribution to Detroit’s musical heritage, meriting his inclusion with other important artists like Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger, Aretha Franklin, and Eminem. The Kid Rock Music Lab and the rest of the Detroit Historical Museum do not have any exhibits of the Confederate flag.
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