Snoop Dogg says his desire to ‘protect’ Vanessa Bryant led to him lashing out at Gayle King
“I wanted to make sure that what I said was said the right way. And I wanted to make sure that the message was across that we love Kobe and be respectful of Vanessa and those kids,” Snoop said
Snoop Dogg may have apologized for lashing out at Gayle King but insists it came from a good place.
According to an exclusive clip obtained by PEOPLE, during Wednesday’s episode of Red Table Talk on Facebook Watch, the hip-hop veteran explains to co-hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris why he felt that Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, had been disrespected during King’s controversial interview with Lisa Leslie.
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“I wanted to make sure that what I said was said the right way. And I wanted to make sure that the message was across that we love Kobe and be respectful of Vanessa and those kids,” he said.
“That’s what the whole intent was,” he continued. “To protect that woman and them babies over there because she’s still grieving and let’s give them that respect.”
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Following the tragic death of Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other victims in a helicopter crash last month, King interviewed WNBA star Leslie about the NBA superstar’s life and legacy for CBS This Morning.
But when the journalist brought up the sensitive subject of Bryant’s past sexual assault case, which had been revitalized on social media, she inquired if Leslie believed that chapter of his life “complicated” the Lakers star’s legacy.
“It’s not complicated for me at all,” Leslie replied. When asked if she thought the question was “fair,” Leslie pointed out that the case was eventually dismissed, adding, “I think that’s how we should leave it.”
A clip of that portion of King’s interview led many mourners, including Snoop and 50 Cent, to come out against King on social media with some incredibly strong language, which ultimately led to threats to her safety.
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After a heart to heart with his mother, Snoop realized the error in his approach and issued an apology stating, “Two wrongs don’t make no right. When you’re wrong, you gotta fix it,”
“Gayle King, I publicly tore you down by coming at you in a derogatory manner based off of emotions, being angry at questions that you asked,” he conceded. “I would like to apologize to you publicly for the language that I used and calling you out of your name and just being disrespectful.”
