ESPN Anchor Apologizes to Ben Watson After On-Air Joke About His Wife
Ben Watson and ESPN co-analyst Peter Burns seem to have smoothed things over after an awkward scene unfolded on the set of SEC Network’s halftime show Saturday that resulted in Watson walking off the set after Burns cracked a joke about his wife.
Burns, who had not yet commented on the matter publicly, took to Twitter and apologized for crossing the line with his on-air remark.
“While it was a joke, the truth is that I crossed the line, you should never joke about family so that I owe a public apology to Ben & Kirsten 100%,” Burns wrote in response to another user. “@BenjaminSWatson couldn’t have handled it better with his humor and class. We all good & proud to call him a friend & coworker.”
Watson accepted the apology shortly after.
“Apology accepted. We are moving on,” he tweeted. “See you Saturday man. We have some big games to discuss!”
The situation involving the two analysts began during Saturday’s halftime show when Burns made a joke about Watson being the only on-air personality wearing a light suit, while himself and fellow crew members Chris Doering and Takeo Spikes wore darker tones. The entire crew seemed to be having a good laugh about the situation, including Watson, who said he didn’t care if he looked different from the rest of his peers, so long as his wife thought he looked good.
“As long as I get a text from my wife that says I look good,” Watson said. “Send me the text, baby. Send me the text.”
Burns then chimed in, chiding, “That’s not the text she sent me.”
Coming out of the commercial break, the situation seemed far more tense as only Doering and Spikes were still sitting at the desk. Watson returned back to his seat as the cameras were rolling and did not look happy.
Doering, the show’s host, tried to downplay the situation, asking Watson if he told Burns to “keep your wife’s name out your mouth.” The analyst responded, “Huh?” but still appeared visibly frustrated.
Later that same afternoon, Burns posted a picture of the two on Twitter with the caption “#Friendship.” Watson followed up hours later, all but confirming that he was upset with the way the situation unfolded, adding that Burns owes Mrs. Watson a “public apology.”
With the apology now out on social media for the world to see, the two will return to the show on Saturday to discuss college football’s rivalry weekend.
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