ESPN Denounces Radio Host’s Offensive Comment About Mina Kimes

Hours after a video surfaced showing a Boston radio host making an offensive remark about popular ESPN analyst Mina Kimes, the network has released a statement in defense of its employee and decrying the host’s comment.

In an apparent attempt at an ill-conceived joke, Chris Curtis of WEEI-FM made the comment while speaking on “The Greg Hill Show” on Wednesday morning while discussing a local proposal to ban mini liquor bottles, which are also commonly referred to as “nips.” The word “nips” is also used as a derogatory slur against people of Japanese descent. As others on the show offered their picks of liquor types, Curtis chimed in, saying, “I’d probably go Mina Kimes.”

Later in the day, a spokesperson from Audacy, WEEI’s parent company, told Chad Finn of The Boston Globe that Curtis intended to say the name of actress Mila Kunis, not Kimes, apparently implying that the joke was meant to invoke sexism instead of racism.

In a statement, ESPN called the comment from Curtis “uncalled for,” per Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports.

“There’s no place for these type of hateful comments, which were uncalled for and extremely offensive,” the statement read.

Kimes, who is of Korean descent, has not yet commented publicly on the incident, but did change her Twitter profile to a picture of Kunis as a bit of a clever nod to the whole situation.