John Gibson‘s Heath Ledger comments from his radio show on Tuesday became a topic of discussion this morning on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. Think Progress has the audio from the beginning of Gibson’s show (broadcast just hours after Ledger’s death). He begins the broadcast playing funeral music under audio clips from “Brokeback Mountain.” “Well he found out how to quit you,” Gibson said, chuckling.
Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski discussed Gibson’s mocking between clips from the broadcast. “This is about as callous and harsh as anything I’ve ever heard,” said Scarborough. “It is unspeakably rude.”
“I also just don’t see how you get away with something like that,” Brzezinski said. “I don’t know how you stay on the air.”
Other quotes from Gibson’s broadcast include jokingly suggesting reasons for why Ledger killed himself (it appears the death was accidental):
• “Maybe he had a serious position in the market.”
• “Apparently Heath Ledger was suicidal..I think he watched the Clinton-Obama debate last night.”
Brzezinski argued against playing another clip from the broadcast, before eventually relenting. Afterwards, she said, “That makes me nauseous.”
“I don’t know who syndicates this guy, but that is absolutely stunning,” Scarborough said. “I am so flabbergasted by this, that he is laughing at a young father’s death.” (Fox News Radio syndicates the show as part of the FNR line-up).