Popular news anchor fired after quoting rapper Snoop Dogg during broadcast (video)

A popular Mississippi news anchor was quietly fired this month after quoting rapper Snoop Dogg during a broadcast. WLBT-TV anchor and weatherman Barbie Bassett, who is white, indulged in on-set banter about Snoop Dogg California’s last wine product, Snoop Cali White, on March 8, when she dropped “Fo shizzle, my nizzle”. Bassett had been with the highest-rated NBC affiliate in Jackson WLBT for over twenty years.

Barbie Bassett, picture by Twitter avatar.

“My nizzle” is apparently a slang version of the n-word that has become another rap lyric that only some people are allowed to quote in public while others have their lives turned upside down.

“Fo shizzle, my [epithet].”

(she was fired for this)https://t.co/xZmBveSp9T pic.twitter.com/d5US9Hu3g5

— Me, Hypocrite (@lporiginalg) March 25, 2023

last fall, Bassett apologized after saying “grandma” on air while speaking to black journalist Carmen Poe.

“Last Friday during our ‘Today at 11am’ newsletter, I used a term that was offensive to many of our audience and to my colleagues here at WLBT. Although unintentional, I now understand to how insensitive and hurtful my comment was. I apologize to Carmen Poe.

Now I would like to apologize to you. It’s not the core of who I am. And for that, I humbly beg your pardon and apologize to anyone I have offended. I will learn from it and participate in training to better understand our history and our people.

I can’t undo the hurt my comment has caused. I pray that you forgive me and grant your grace through this terrible mistake.

The Vicksburg Daily News broke the story of Bassett’s shooting last Tuesday and included a video of the “big mom” incident (excerpt):

Barbie Bassett, news anchor for WLBT has been absent from the public eye lately, sparking speculation about her current status in the news industry. Vicksburg Daily News reached out to a WLBT source who confirmed Bassett was no longer with the station.

In October 2022, Bassett made a comment on the tune that offended viewers, citing its racial connotations.

Excerpt from Bassett’s biography on his personal website (which has erased all but one mention of WLBT):

Originally from Marks, Mississippi, Barbie was raised on a farm as the last of four children.

Barbie graduated from Mississippi College with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications. She earned a Master of Science degree from Mississippi State University with a concentration in broadcast meteorology.

Barbie has received the American Meteorological Society’s Seal of Approval and has been repeatedly awarded the Associated Press “Best Weather Report”. She was WLBT’s first Chief Meteorologist in over 50 years of history.

Barbie won the international title of Mrs. Mississippi 2000. In the Mrs. Internationally, she was named a Top 15 semi-finalist as she competed against women from around the world. She has held four state beauty pageant titles and one national title over the years. Barbie is an accomplished opera singer, ventriloquist, pianist and model.

Barbie sits on the boards of the Mississippi Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Foundation and the Christmas Village. Additionally, she is a member of the Madison-Ridgeland Junior Auxiliary Advisory Board and a graduate of Leadership Mississippi. She is vice president of the American Meteorological Society Jackson Chapter, teaches two-year-olds in Sunday school, and sings on the Colonial Heights Baptist Church worship team, an auxiliary life member. Madison-Ridgeland junior and Jackson Junior League member.

…She has written two bestsellers: “Forecasts & Faith: 5 Keys to Weathering the Storms of Life” and “Carry An Umbrella When There’s No Rain in the Forecast”.

In her spare time, she enjoys chasing storms, collecting Barbie dolls, spending time on the family farm and homeschooling her children Grace, Will Christian and Lilly Faith.

Bassett’s Twitter account has been inactive since March 14. His Facebook account was last active on March 8.