iHeartRadio fired its afternoon host in Omaha, Nebraska following a tweet that was deemed inappropriate which came minutes after the Derek Chauvin verdict.
Chris Baker, who hosted the afternoon show on NewsRadio 1110 KFAB tweeted a GIF image of four Black men wearing loincloths and body paint and dancing, possibly with spears in front of them with the word “guilty” in the body of the text.
The station reportedly fired Baker almost immediately after it became aware of the tweet. Management called the post “completely inappropriate and unacceptable.”
“Please know that this does not represent our viewpoint or our values, and we take this situation very seriously,” said C. Taylor Walet III, area president/Nebraska for iHeartRadio. “Chris Baker’s employment with our company has been terminated.”
Baker told the OmahaWorld Herald that he inadvertently selected the wrong image while doing multiple things at once: hosting his show, lining up guests and monitoring the unfolding news after the verdict.
KFAB’s 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. timeslot, which is normally filled by Baker, instead featured KFAB regulars Producer Josh and Meghan Bird. No mention was made of Baker’s tweet during the show.
