NJ 101.5 suspends hosts after they called NJ Attorney General Gurbir Grewal 'turban man'

A pair of talk radio hosts who repeatedly referred to New Jersey's Sikh attorney general, Gurbir Grewal, as "turban man" and "the guy with the turban" on Wednesday were suspended for 10 days and apologized for "a series of insensitive comments."  

The station, NJ 101.5-FM, announced the decision to suspend hosts Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco on its website late Thursday afternoon. By then the hosts were at the center of a firestorm on social media and the governor had called for the station to take action against the veteran radio personalities. 

In an interview Thursday, Gov. Phil Murphy called the hosts' comments about Grewal "awful" and "disgusting." 

"This is not something where somebody sort of just tiptoed across a line. They crossed it by miles," Murphy said. "Completely unacceptable, particularly, I think, in New Jersey in 2018." 

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Malloy and Franco acknowledged during their afternoon show that their reference to Grewal may be considered offensive. But they dismissed that possibility and suggested it was the fault of Grewal, the country's first Sikh attorney general, that he was being referred to in a way that could be perceived as derogatory.  

"Listen, and if that offends you, then don't wear the turban and maybe I'll remember your name," Malloy said. 

The hosts had brought up the attorney general because of his order earlier this week to county prosecutors to adjourn all low-level marijuana cases for at least the next month. That decision is being interpreted as a precursor to the state's seemingly inevitable legalization of recreational marijuana under Murphy. 

Murphy appointed Grewal, of Glen Rock, earlier this year to become the state's top law enforcement officer. Before that, Grewal served as Bergen County prosecutor under Republican Gov. Chris Christie. 

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The son of Indian immigrants, Grewal, 45, practices the Sikh religion and, as such, wears the turban headdress common in that religion as well as among Muslims and Hindus.

When he was named by Murphy to be the next attorney general, Grewal, whose office did not respond to an email seeking comment, spoke to his three daughters and explained that he wanted to take the job because "as someone who has experienced hate and intolerance firsthand throughout my life, I wanted to work to ensure we all live in and that the three of you grow up in a fair and just society.”

On his personal Twitter account, Grewal responded early Thursday morning with a message directed at the station. 

"My name, for the record, is Gurbir Grewal. I’m the 61st Attorney General of NJ. I’m a Sikh American. I have 3 daughters. And yesterday, I told them to turn off the radio," Grewal wrote.

In a minute-long audio clip from their show, Malloy and Franco refer to Grewal as "turban man" or "the guy with the turban" five times in discussing the marijuana decision. 

"You know the attorney general — I'm never going to know his name. I'm just going to say 'the guy with the turban,' " Malloy says. 

Franco responds, "OK," then adds in a drawn-out voice, "turban man." 

Moments later, Malloy asks, "Is that highly offensive?" 

Franco responds, "To me? No. To people who wear turbans? Could be."

Malloy agrees, but then explains his justification for using the term. "If you called me 'baseball hat man' and I was in a culture where nobody wore baseball hats and they called me 'baseball hat man,' should I be offended?" 

"No. I would say no," Franco responds. 

Malloy concurs, then goes on: "Anyway, the attorney general, turban man, says he's not going to prosecute pot things until September." 

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In a joint statement, Malloy and Franco apologized and offered their apologies to Grewal and the Sikh and Asian communities. 

“For 21 years, the Dennis and Judi show has been unscripted and free form. We use humor and sarcasm to make a point and add color to the broadcast; in this instance, we were off the mark," the statement said. "It was a mistake we both deeply regret. We respect all cultures and beliefs and are deeply sorry for the pain caused to the Sikh community, our co-workers and our beloved listeners.”

The recording of the radio hosts' comments made the rounds on social media through Wednesday night into Thursday and drew rebukes from the American Civil Liberties Union and Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who is also a Sikh and wears a turban, among many others.  

"Hey "Racist Man" @DennisandJudi : I'm a Jersey guy, born & raised, and so is NewJerseyOAG Grewal - this type of racist garbage has no place in Jersey. Get with the program! #RacistManDennis #jerseypride #educateyourself," Bhalla wrote on Twitter.

The ACLU pushed back against the hosts' reasoning for referring to Grewal the way they did, pointing out that Murphy's full name is "probably less phonetic" than Grewal's. 

"Racism isn't cute. It's just racist," the organization wrote on Twitter.