LL Cool J vs. Sarah Palin: Rapper Takes on Fox News
Rapper takes on Fox News' use of an old interview in Sarah Palin's new show.
April 1, 2010— -- Rapper-actor LL Cool J and politician Sarah Palin may not have a lot in common, but they seem to agree on one thing -- mothers are tough.
LL Cool J's hit 1991 song "Mama Said Knock You Out" jibes with Palin's own view of mothers.
"What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick," the former Alaska governor famously declared in her GOP convention speech in 2008.
But that's about where their similarities end. LL Cool J -- known to his mother as James Todd Smith III -- knocks Palin and Fox News for including an old interview of his in an advertisement promoting Palin's new show.
"Fox lifted an old interview I gave in 2008 to someone else & are misrepresenting to the public in order to promote Sarah Palins Show. WOW," LL Cool J tweeted Tuesday.
That's not cool with the rap star, who said he never did an interview with Palin for her new show, "Real American Stories." LL Cool J's spokesperson said Fox News neither sought his permission nor contacted anyone on his team in advance to alert them they're using footage from an old 2008 interview.
"Contrary to what was reported, LL Cool J was never scheduled to be a guest on 'Real American Stories' with Sarah Palin this week," his spokesperson said in a statement. "The show had planned to use an interview from 2008 that had been repurposed without LL's permission. This statement is not a reflection of any feelings LL has toward Fox News or Ms. Palin, whom he has never met, rather a clarification of what we have seen published in the media."
Fox was quick to hit back, saying it owns the footage, so it didn't need his permission to use the interview in Palin's program.
Still, the network did say it would remove the segment but not before it sent out a stinging statement: "It appears that [he] does not want to be associated with a program that could serve as an inspiration to others. We are cutting his interview from the special and wish him the best with his fledgling acting career."
Whether LL Cool J's career is fledgling depends on who one talks to. The Grammy Award-winner currently stars in the hit show "NCIS Los Angeles."
