Fox News has apparently been getting so many complaints regarding sexist jokes two male hosts cracked about a female fighter pilot that both men were compelled to revisit their comments Friday.
Eric Bolling, one of the hosts of “The Five,” had already apologized once to viewers (and his wife) for referring to Major Mariam Al Mansouri, the United Arab Emirates’ first female fighter pilot who led its airstrikes this week against the Islamic State, as “boobs on the ground.”
Bolling said Friday that his “wholly inappropriate” remark wasn’t intended to disparage Al Mansouri and added that the apology he made on Thursday’s show was “inadequate.”
“Fox News has received letters from viewers including from women in the military and I’m taking them to heart,” he said. “Therefore, let me speak clearly and sincerely. I’m sorry for what I said. I believe that Major Al Mansouri is a hero. She’s courageous, brave and she deserves our praise and not inappropriate jokes. She has my admiration and my very, very sincere gratitude.”
Co-host Greg Gutfeld, who also made a boorish joke about Al Mansouri not being able to “park” the fighter jet, addressed his comment for the first time but did not apologize for it.
Gutfeld said that his quip was misinterpreted and that any regular viewer of his Fox News shows know he “makes very hacky jokes knowing that they are hacky.”
“The UAE should know that I didn’t mean to slight their progressive move in having this great woman lead the war on terror blowing up those heathens,” he said. “She’s pretty awesome.”
“And of course, women in the UAE can drive. That’s the real joke,” he added. “They can drive, and I can’t. I don’t even have a driver’s license.”
Watch Gutfeld’s comments below, courtesy of Fox News:
