Former ESPN host Sage Steele torched activist Al Sharpton for defending former Harvard President Claudine Gay after her resignation.
During Steele’s appearance on Jesse Watters’ Fox News show, the two discussed Sharpton’s claim that Gay’s resignation represents an “attack on all black women” and his promise to protest hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who had called for Gay’s resignation, the Daily Mail reported.
“Almost every time Al Sharpton speaks I get angry because Al Sharpton pretends that he knows what every single person of color in this country thinks, believes, how they should live, how they should act, how they should vote,” Steele told Watters.
.@sagesteele: “Almost every time Al Sharpton speaks I get angry because Al Sharpton pretends that he knows what every single person of color in this country thinks, believes… I just wish he would go away.”https://t.co/TqDRJBfWLN
— Mr Producer (@RichSementa) January 4, 2024
“I just wish he would go away,” she added. “Maybe fifty years ago. But right now he is the wrong person to be speaking for anything.”
Gay’s resignation came in the wake of numerous plagiarism allegations as well as her controversial congressional testimony on what Harvard is doing to combat anti-Semitism on campus after Hamas’ attack on Israel.
Steele also slammed Gay’s answer when she was directly asked by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) about whether calling for the genocide of Jews violated Harvard’s codes of conduct, and the president responded that it depends “on the context.” She added that calling for genocide is “at odds with the values of Harvard” and that when that kind of “speech crosses into conduct, that violates our policies.”
“She [Gay] couldn’t even answer that clearly,” Steele said. “She refused to answer it. So to me, I don’t have that much sympathy, and no, I don’t feel like I need to stand up for her because of the color of her skin,” she added.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP
“And she and Harvard as a whole has let America down,” Steele continued.
In Gay’s resignation letter, the now-ousted president wrote, in part, “It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president. This is not a decision I came to easily. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words because I have looked forward to working with so many of you to advance the commitment to academic excellence that has propelled this great university across centuries.”
Then Gay tried to diminish the allegations against her by claiming “racial animus” had fueled some of the criticism against her.
“Amidst all of this, it has been distressing to have doubts cast on my commitments to confronting hate and upholding scholarly rigor — two bedrock values that are fundamental to who I am — and frightening to be subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus,” she wrote.
Related: ‘A Hill I Will Die On’: Sage Steele Says ESPN Told Her Not To Talk About Lia Thomas. She Disobeyed.