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Vernon Jones remarked on Reid’s hair color and said Maddow “wants to look like a man.”
In a recent edition of Newsmax’s Eric Bolling: The Balance, hosted by Bolling, guest Vernon Jones, a Republican former state representative from Georgia and failed candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, sparked controversy with his comments about MSNBC hosts Rachel Maddow and Joy Reid.
The Tuesday segment, initially focused on critiquing MSNBC’s political coverage, quickly veered into personal territory. While discussing the network’s Iowa caucuses coverage, Jones attacked the women’s appearance, according to a video of the segment captured by Media Matters.
Bolling set the tone by describing Maddow and Reid as “left-wing opinion flamethrowers,” questioning their inclusion in MSNBC’s political coverage and implying they were more opinion-oriented than factual.
Jones’s remarks intensified the critique, particularly targeting Maddow and Reid personally.
“You look at Rachel Maddow, she always bashing white men, but she wants to look like a man,” Jones said.
Jones also directed his attention to Reid, making a pointed remark about her physical appearance.
“You have Joy Reid on there who’s literally having a race rant against white Christians. What is wrong with them being Christians? And they happen to be white. As a matter of fact, her hair is whiter than those Christians,” Jones said.
The segment took place against the backdrop of conservative outrage over MSNBC’s coverage of former President Donald Trump’s Iowa victory speech the previous day. MSNBC has been a focal point of criticism from conservative circles for opting not to air Trump’s speech live, citing a commitment to journalistic integrity over broadcasting misleading statements.
In April 2022, while running for Congress, Jones made controversial remarks during an interview on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast. He denied any comparison between the Black civil rights movement and the LGBTQ+ rights struggle, saying, “Civil rights for Blacks and gay rights for gays are two different things.” He also accused white liberals of using LGBTQ+ issues to attack Black families, a stance that was widely criticized.
