Popular radio show host Howard Stern had humiliated former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Magic Johnson on ‘The Magic Hour.’ NBA fans are quite well aware of Magic Johnson as the Lakers legend gained unbound fame during the 80s. The proficient point guard is a 12-time All-Star and his passing prowess knew no bounds.
He had, was fashionable and easily one of the top 5 Lakers players ever. In 1991, an off-season physical with the team diagnosed Johnson with HIV. Magic subsequently retired from NBA and became a major propagator of HIV/AIDS awareness.
He continued his fight against the life-altering disease after his retirement. And although he stopped playing, Magic continued to grow professionally. In 1998, he launched his own late-night show called ‘The Magic Hour.’
Howard Stern racially insulted Magic Johnson
Howard Stern often grabs the headlines with his controversial statements and it has landed him in trouble multiple times.
But the current Stern is a shadow of his former controversial self. Back in the 90s, he was a relentless offensive comment maker. He would spit out, one after the other, racist and misogynist content on his show.
Around the same time, he launched a vile attack on Johnson who had just launched his new talk show. The producer of Magic’s show booked Stern as a guest despite Johnson’s reluctance.
Stern appeared on the show and went into one of the most horribly racist rants ever on TV.
Howard Stern had said:
“The thing you need to work on, in my estimation, is that you’ve gotta stop trying to talk like the white man,” Stern told Johnson on the show. “Everybody’s anti-ebonics. I say, let it fly! What you need to do, ‘my brotha,’ is to really get down with it. You talk ebonics all you want.”
He continued with the awful interview, taking below-the-belt shots at Johnson.
Stern: “Listen, you’re a black man. I grew up in a black neighborhood,” he continued. “I’m blacker than you are, trust me. I’m the blackest black man you’ll ever meet. And I’m telling you right now, when I lived in Roosevelt, Long Island, which is a black ghetto, everybody talked like this” — at this point, he did an ill-advised vocal impression of how he thought black people sound — “I was a big marble mouth, but it was fascinating, because I was one of the people. Why does everybody have to understand every word you say? Who cares what you got to say? No difference what you say.”
