Terry Bradshaw Once Had to Apologize to Ken Jeong and ‘the Asian American Community’ After an Insensitive Comment
Even if you can’t stand the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s tough to dislike Terry Bradshaw. During his time on the gridiron, the Blonde Bomber proved to be a pretty talented quarterback on some legendary teams; in retirement, he’s moved into the media and become somewhat of the NFL’s goofy uncle. Along the way, though, there have been some bumps in the road.
In 2019, Terry Bradshaw found himself in hot water after making an “insensitive comment’ on TV. In the end, he even issued an apology to Ken Jeong and “the Asian American community” for his actions.
Terry Bradshaw had a successful career with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Over the course of their history, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had some legendary players on the defensive side of the ball. Terry Bradshaw, however, did some impressive work on offense.
Bradshaw played his college football at Louisiana Tech, where he took over the starting job after Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame left the team. He turned into a star and, after a favorable coin flip, joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as the first-overall pick of the 1970 NFL draft.
While the Steelers were pretty terrible at the time, the team eventually turned a corner. Bradshaw, too, eventually grew into his role; although he had the benefit of playing alongside some incredible teammates, the quarterback still posted some impressive numbers during his time in Pittsburgh.
By the time he retired, Terry Bradshaw had played 14 seasons of professional football, spending all of them in Pittsburgh. While things were far from perfect—he didn’t feel like Chuck Noll supported him— the quarterback won 107 of his 158 starts, lifted four Lombardi Trophies, took home two Super Bowl MVP titles, and earned 1978 NFL MVP honors; that’s nothing to sneeze at, no matter how good your teammates are.
Becoming a beloved NFL broadcaster
Terry Bradshaw’s talents aren’t limited to playing football, though. The former quarterback is also a natural on camera.
While he’s appeared in plenty of movies and even has his own reality show, Bradshaw is probably most well known for his NFL work. The quarterback joined CBS’ coverage in the early 1980s; he eventually joined The NFL Today, made the move to Fox, and, from there, the rest is history.
Although the quarterback’s perceived lack of intelligence has always been an easy target for critics, Bradshaw has used that image to his advantage on TV. He’s not afraid of poking fun at himself, providing a bit of comic relief, and becoming America’s fill-in uncle, telling crazy stories about the good old days.
Terry Bradshaw had to apologize after an ‘insensitive comment’ about Ken Jeong
Even if you don’t care for Terry Bradshaw’s antics, he’s usually a pretty inoffensive part of an NFL Sunday. In 2019, however, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star crossed the line.
According to the Washington Post, Bradshaw was discussing his appearance on The Masked Singer when he referred to Ken Jeong as “the little short guy from Japan.” The comedian, however, isn’t from Japan; he was born in Detroit and was born to Korean parents. The former quarterback also referred to Robin Thicke as “Alan Thicke.”
Bradshaw, for his part, did apologize for what he said. “I made an insensitive remark today about Ken, who I’ve known for some time,” Bradshaw said in a statement, according to Variety. “I’ve spoken to him about the importance of cultural respect and apologized for my offensive comments. I would like to also apologize to the Asian-American community for my insensitivity.”
