It's wrong to throw out these kind of accusations with no background, no context, explanation etc.
Either tell the story in full complete with names and specific allegations, or shut up.
Also, he names Marci Ien, now a cabinet minister.
She of course, is black.
So how was she racist?
Very dangerous territory, Ben.
 

OK here's even more.


On June 10, 2020, Mulroney became the centre of controversy after Sasha Exeter, a black brand marketer/lifestyle influencer from Toronto, posted a video on Instagram stating that Mulroney had bullied her after Exeter publicly called for social media influencers to use their platforms in support of black people; according to Exeter, Mulroney had taken this call as a personal attack.[36][/url] Mulroney later made a public apology.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Mulroney#cite_note-37][37] After Exeter's video gained significant attention, Mulroney lost her contracts with Hudson's Bay, ABC, Cityline and CTV (her CTV series I Do, Redo was cancelled).
 Following the incident, Mulroney's husband resigned from etalk on June 22.[43] National Post opinion columnist Barbara Kay was given private access to previously undisclosed texts and messages between Mulroney and Exeter. Kay argued in her January 21, 2021, column that Mulroney was threatened and bullied by Exeter and that Mulroney's own threats to Exeter had thus been provoked.

Oh, good. I'll read up on this next time I'm having trouble falling asleep.

Jessica Mulroney losing her contracts may have been overkill, and I don't know if I'd say she was "racist"  per se (and Exeter actually said she wasn't calling Mulroney racist) but it does sound like she was doing what a lot of people who are rich and powerful or come from rich and powerful backgrounds do - throwing her weight around and make everything about her. Sorry, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over how the Mulroneys have suffered and frankly, it's quite self-involved for Ben Mulroney to think the audience would or should care. 

In an 11-minute video, Exeter detailed how Mulroney perceived a generic call-to-action post Exeter shared as directed at her, because Mulroney had not posted anything about the Black Lives Matter movement on her Instagram. Exeter said Mulroney lashed out at her over messages and texts and at one point, threatened to talk to her sponsors."Listen, I’m by no means calling Jess a racist but what I will say is this: She is very well aware of her wealth, her perceived power, and privilege because of the color of her skin," Exeter said. For context, Mulroney is married to Ben Mulroney, former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney's son, and is part of Toronto's elite. "And that, my friend, gave her the momentary confidence to come for my livelihood in writing," Exeter said. "Textbook white privilege really, in my personal opinion."

Last edited by Hansa (December 5, 2024 4:06 pm)

'So there was some hypocrisy there on his part four years ago.'

Not hipocracy RA. Diplomacy. Trying not to exacerbate a stupid situation created by easily inflamed leftists.

I doubt he wants to ever go back to CTV, regardless of whether they would even want him back.
Even as a lefty myself, I don't think it's anyone's place to *demand* that another person support their cause, whether it's a worthwhile one or not. It veers dangerously close to a sense of entitlement that just because you are a certain race or ethnicity or religious background, the whole world has to stop and cater to your cause. It only pushes people on the right to move further to the right, does more damage than good.

If Exeter approached Mulroney to enlist her aid but she wasn't interested, so be it. She could be a racist, she could be just plain uninterested in helping out black women because she's got her own messes to sort out, but walk away and shut up about it. I don't think it helped Exeter's image any to portray herself as a victim here. What I recall about the news story at the time was thinking to myself that she'd made a nuisance of herself until Mulroney just lost her temper and patience.

Regardless I can see why her husband still holds bitter feelings about it, he had a good gig going on at eTalk and I was sorry to see him leave.

 

RadioActive wrote:

He only called out one name - Marci Ien, a former host and now an MP in Ottawa, claiming she helped cover up for the person he referred to as "racist." 

Marci brought down Avery Haines 25 ys ago with same turd routine at ctv news
shes an opportunist who sees racism whenever it helps her advance

ToRon wrote:

RadioActive wrote:

He only called out one name - Marci Ien, a former host and now an MP in Ottawa, claiming she helped cover up for the person he referred to as "racist." 

Marci brought down Avery Haines 25 ys ago with same turd routine at ctv news
shes an opportunist who sees racism whenever it helps her advance

I did not know Avery was terminated from CTV because of Marci, but only knew Avery had said something wrong and it leaked.

Is there an article on this?

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video/c3037778-shoebox-project-helps-women-in-need

Years ago, Jessica Mulroney and her 3 sisters-in-law created a terrific charity called The Shoebox Project, providing Christmas gifts for women experiencing homelessness.

It started as a local endeavor in Toronto and has grown to a huge national movement and I think there are even Shoebox Project teams south of the border.

Ms. Mulroney stepped down from the charity in 2020. I have no idea if she's still involved quietly behind the scenes.

I watched the above CTV feature promoting the Shoebox Project and it felt like the two women from the charity deliberately chose not to mention the Mulroney family as the people responsible for creating the charity and being the driving force behind it's continuing sucess. And the interviewer didn't mention the family either. Which felt like sloppy reporting and/or a deliberate snub.

Is it possible the timing of Ben's conversation is, in part, related to the media coverage of the Shoebox Project charity and the continuing aftereffects of the 2020 social media kangaroo court?

Last edited by betaylored (December 5, 2024 9:39 pm)

Ben is a bright light in a mostly depressing time in AM talk radio. While he and Brady are the best, 640 Toronto has quickly become to voice of the city. Newstalk 1010 is brutal. I listen to 640 from 530am until dinner and it is now, more often than not, excellent radio and a great source of information and conversation. You may have an issue with a host, but is there a better station in Toronto for smart people who want to be informed?                                                           

You know what? I am very thankful that I am not famous. I am not required to express a public opinion on everything that is happening in the world. I am not required to dress a certain way outside of my home. Didn't shave and my hair is a mess when I buy my morning newspaper. I don't care and neither does the world. If a was a famous celebrity, that unkempt photo of me would be on every prominent entertainment/gossip website in a nano second. And when cameras and microphones are shoved in my face I had better have the politically correct approved response to what ever question is asked. No I like my simple life. I wear comfortable clothes [jeans and t-shirts or somewhat dressy golf shirts] I love my beer, sports and large portions of meat. I have always believed that P.E.T.A. should really stand for People Eating Tasty Animals.

I remember being at the Eaton Centre years ago and seeing Gurdeep Ahluwalia doing a live report from the mall for CP24.  Couldn't believe the number of people watching him situated behind the camera operator.   After he was done, Gurdeep had people coming up to him, wanting an autograph, a photo with him or just to talk.  Some were also talking to the camera guy. 

Gurdeep was very gracious, took his time with people and seemed to enjoy talking with them.  But I wondered too what it would be like for him on his off hours when he wasn't working.  With all of his time on CityTV and CP24 and living downtown, he was very recognizable.  I am sure at times like any personality he just wanted to be able to go about his business.  What I saw however, he was handling the spotlight well, and people really liked him.  

jughead jones wrote:

Ben is a bright light in a mostly depressing time in AM talk radio.                                             

 
The sad state of Canadian talk radio in one sentence.

Retaw wrote:

I always found it interesting that Bell immediately threw Ben's wife under the bus, but continued to air The Masked Singer without issue. For those unaware, the show's host, Nick Cannon, went on an entirely unhinged podcast rant less than a month after Jessica Mulroney's cancelling. Among other things, Cannon stated that people of European descent are "savages" that are "closer to animals." 

Nick basically faced zero real consequences for that. He apologized for some of the antisemitic things he said, donated to a few Jewish organizations, and that was it. Fox had no issue with his continued involvement with The Masked Singer. Paramount initially claimed to have terminated their contract with him ... only to hire him back within six months. Basically, a seasonal hiatus. Bell was airing at least three shows he was involved with (The Masked Singer on CTV, Wild 'N Out on MTV, Celebrity Call Centre on E!) at the time, but as far as I can tell, never made any statement. He might not have been directly employed by them, but they were definitely making him wealthier. If these companies actually cared about condemning hate speech, enabling someone as open as Nick should've been a problem. They had no problem burying the Mulroneys and the worst Jessica did was take a troll's bait.

Jessica Mulroney took down Jessica Mulroney by responding to a general comment that did not name her and threatening legal action and career destruction. That's not "taking a trolls bait", that's being self-centred or paranoid and thinking everything is about you and then using your position as a social elite against the perceived offender.