Fox News’ Shepard Smith is being slated after he speculated on air that Robin Williams may have been a coward following his death by suicide.
Smith made the comment on Monday night (yesterday, NZT) during coverage of the Academy Award-winning actor-comedian’s death. He was speaking about how Williams’ self-inflicted death might affect his three adult children.
Critics took to social media after Smith said Williams’ children were giving him so much joy, “and yet something inside you is so horrible, or you’re such a coward, or whatever the reason that you decide you have to end it”.
Following the backlash Smith apologised in an interview with Mediaite.
“… If any of his family members and friends were to have seen me use the word ‘coward’, I would be horrified. I would just to apologise to the end of the earth to anyone who might think that I meant to openly call him a coward.
“To the core of my being, I regret it. It just came out of my mouth. And I’m so sorry. And to anyone and their families who see that, I am sorry.”
Shepard Smith was just getting tired of being called the only sane person on Fox.
— Dan Kennedy (@dankennedy_nu) August 12, 2014
How does Fox choose who and why to criticize: Cowardice Expert Shepard Smith Calls Out “Coward” Robin Williams http://t.co/n48PRbexO0
— Ricky Camilleri (@RickyCam) August 12, 2014
It’s pretty clear that @ShepNewsTeam knows nothing about depression and even less about empathy.
— Sean Baptiste (@SeanTheBaptiste) August 12, 2014
I’ll show @ShepNewsTeam this text I got from Mom at midnight, a woman who didn’t think I’d see another birthday: pic.twitter.com/yqUGY62kei
— Megan Armstrong (@meganKarmstrong) August 12, 2014
@JIDF @ShepNewsTeam @FoxNews Just goes to show you how ignorant people are about depression. Depression strikes the very brave too
— Robin Spielberg (@robinspielberg) August 12, 2014
Ad Feedback
– AP
