Snoop Dogg addressed his profanity-laden tirade against Gayle King during an interview on Wednesday’s episode of Red Table Talk.
“I let my emotions get the best of me. I was frustrated on top of just venting,” the rapper told Jada Pinkett Smith.
Snoop sat down on the Facebook Watch series to address the fallout after he called out King via Instagram, following an interview she conducted where she brought up Kobe Bryant’s 2003 sexual assault case. The interview aired just days after the NBA legend and eight others were killed in a Jan. 26 helicopter crash.
“I wanted to make sure that the message was across that we love Kobe, but be respectful of Vanessa and those kids,” Snoop said. “That’s what the whole intent was, to protect that women and them babies over there because they are still grieving. Let’s give them some respect.”
Related Story: Gayle King Responds to Snoop Dogg’s Apology for Kobe Bryant Rant
Given the polarizing nature of Snoop’s comments about King, Pinkett Smith said, “This conversation is not about taking sides. This conversation is not about proving who is right and who is wrong. This conversation is about healing.”
Snoop also revealed that prior to deciding to apologize to King, he received prodding from some industry heavyweights.
“When this thing happened with Gayle, I got calls from Tyler Perry, Puff Daddy, Van Jones, like powerful black men, and they didn’t bash me, they was just like ‘brother, we got your back if you need [anything], but we think that you shouldn’t have said it,’” he explained.
The controversy first swirled when King asked Bryant’s close friend, WNBA star Lisa Leslie, about his 2003 sexual assault case in Colorado. Bryant reached an out-of-court settlement with his accuser and the charges were dropped. King said in her interview that Bryant’s legacy is “complicated.”
Leslie replied, “It’s not complicated for me at all… I just never see — have ever seen him being the kind of person that would be — do something to violate a woman or be aggressive in that way.”
Snoop and many of Bryant’s fans were upset about King’s comments and criticized her on social media. In a video posted on Instagram, Snoop warned the newscaster to “back off b–ch, before we come get you.”
In response to his comments, King’s admirers and powerful friends, including former national security adviser Susan Rice, warned the rapper to “back the f–k off,” prompting the #IStandWithGayle hashtag.
Watch the Red Table Talk interview below.
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