Dr. Laura to quit radio show amid controversy

August 17, 2010

Dr. Laura Schlessinger, a talk radio fixture for three decades, announced Tuesday that she will quit her syndicated program at the end of the year. [LA Times]

Schlessinger, who goes by the name “Dr. Laura,” on her show, said on Larry King Live that she will not renew her contract when it expires in December.

The announcement came one week after Schlessinger came under intense criticism for the repeated use of a racial slur during an on-air conversation with one of her callers.

During last week’s broadcast, Schlessinger  got into a discussion with a woman who called in to get advice on what to do about racial comments made by relatives. Schlessinger suggested the caller was “hypersensitive” to racism and observed that many African Americans use the very racial epithet that they hate hearing non-African American use. Schlessinger used the N-word repeatedly in making her case.

The criticism did not go away, despite multiple apologies from the radio talk show host on both her broadcast and web site.

On Larry King Live, Schlessinger said, “I want my first amendment rights back.”

The “Dr. Laura” program is currently the third most popular syndicated radio show in the country, trailing only Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Her show, once carried locally on KVEC, is now heard in Santa Maria.

She made an appearance in Morro Bay earlier this summer to promote her new book.