A recent episode of "Mike & Molly" had a joke in it that has the show under fire. The Navajo Nation has requested an apology for the slight, according to a report issued on Sunday.
The joke appeared to suggest that Native Americans are alcoholics, or more to the point, drunks. In the episode, Mike's mother Peggy (played by Rondi Reed), who is an Archie Bunker type, if you get the drift, said,
Arizona? Why would I move to Arizona? It's nothing but a furnace full of drunk Indians.
The Navajo Nation encompasses portions of northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwestern New Mexico. Covering 27,425 square miles, it is the largest land area assigned primarily to a Native American jurisdiction within the United States.
The group has demanded an apology from CBS, which carries "Mike & Molly." A representative for the Navajo Nation said,
For a show like this displaying us in a negative light is just unacceptable, they are taking a shot at the entire state of Arizona and its indigenous people.
An apology would be the right thing to do, but some damage done can't be fixed in an apology.
CBS has not responded, as yet. "Mike & Molly" stars Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy and airs on Mondays at 9:30 p.m. on CBS. The episode in question aired last week.
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