In a tearful segment that aired on Oklahoma City’s KOCO-TV, morning anchor Alex Housden apologized to her co-anchor Jason Hackett after comparing him to a gorilla during a broadcast Thursday. "I said something yesterday that was inconsiderate, it was inappropriate, and I hurt people," she said. "I want you to know I understand how much I hurt you out there and how much I hurt (Hackett) ... I want you all to know from the bottom of my heart, I apologize for what I said. I know it was wrong, and I am so sorry." Hackett accepted her apology and noted that Housden "is one of my best friends." But he added, "What she said yesterday was wrong. It cut deep for me, and it cut deep for a lot of you in the community ... Coming out of this, I want this to be a teachable moment. And that lesson here is that words matter ... We're becoming a more diverse country, and there's no excuse. We have to understand the stereotypes. We have to understand each other's backgrounds and the words that hurt, the words that cut deep. And we have to find a way to replace those words with love and words of affirmation as well."
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