I’m Sorry, So Sorry: Top Ten On-Air Apologies

by Glynnis MacNicol | 6:09 pm, October 6th, 2009

» 3 comments

hugh-grant_l David Letterman’s public apology Monday night for bad behavior is merely the latest in a long list of famous public apologies, mostly for similar bad behavior (Letterman has the rare privilege of adding extortion victim to the list), though a couple of times it’s been the result of someone shooting their mouth off. Letterman joins a list that includes a whole lot of politicians — Bill Clinton, Jim McGreevey, Mark Sanford, Eliot Spitzer — and one or two jackass entertainers.

Strangely, it was hard to come up with women for this list! Paris Hilton was a last-minute addition — if you can think of any let us know and we will happily add: women screw up too. Also interesting to note is how many of these apologies occur on late night television; Letterman also joins an esteemed list there, too, though up until last night he was on the other side of the couch. With that in mind, we bring you our Top Ten Public Apologies — from nappy-headed hos to “I did not have sexual relations with that woman!” to Hugh Grant, the standard bearer of late night apologies, relive all your famous oh-no-they-didn’t breaking news moments. No doubt there will be more.

NEXT: Men Behaving Badly

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Bill Clinton, David Letterman, Don Imus, eliot spitzer, Hugh Grant, Jim McGreevey, Kanye West, larry king, Mark Sanford, Michael Richards, Paris Hilton, Seinfeld

Magister

I’m nowhere near old enough to remember and no YouTube appears available, but Jack Parr sort of apologized after walking-off the set and leaving the air for almost a month.
Magister

Oh, and though I never saw them, but Wikipedia says that Mel Gibson gave an explanatory, apologetic-like interview to Diane Sawyer and I’m pretty sure Jerry Lewis has gone on camera at some point to apologize for one or the other things, he’s said.
Magister

PS) You asked for females. I’m not finding a YouTube and one probably doesn’t exist, but Jane Fonda apologized (to Barbara Walters?) for some of her activities during the Vietnam War.