Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly apologized after dismissing black Congresswoman Maxine Waters over her hair, saying it was like a “James Brown wig.”
Speaking on Fox & Friends Tuesday morning, O’Reilly responded to footage of Waters speaking out against President Donald Trump and the Republican party by saying he “didn’t hear a word she said. I was looking at the James Brown wig.”
O’Reilly later apologized on Tuesday, calling the comment “dumb.”
“As I have said many times, I respect Congresswoman Maxine Waters for being sincere in her beliefs,” O’Reilly said in a statement. “I said that again today on Fox & Friends calling her ‘old school.’ Unfortunately, I also made a jest about her hair which was dumb. I apologize.”
O’Reilly will also address the comment during his show Tuesday night, a representative from Fox News told Fortune.
The chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Waters is the senior-most black woman serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. She represents California’s 43rd district, which includes Inglewood, Calif. and Torrance, Calif.
“When we fight against this president and we point out how dangerous he is for this society and for this country, we’re fighting for the democracy,” Waters said in the clip. “We’re fighting for America. We’re saying to those who say they’re patriotic but they turned a blind eye to the destruction that he’s about to cause this country, you’re not nearly as patriotic as you are.”
A spokesperson for Waters did not respond to a request for comment.
