Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang are acknowledging the backlash to their comments about Rep. Jasmine Crockett after urging their podcast listeners not to donate money to the Texas politician’s U.S. Senate bid.
“Hey everybody,” Rogers wrote in an Instagram Stories update. “I hear the response, and l am taking every bit of it to heart, I promise. Transparency and candor matter to me, especially on the podcast. I’m a very progressive person who cares deeply about winning these elections, but my phrasing was not right. I will be more thoughtful! I really do promise.”
He added, “I have great respect and admiration for Rep. Crockett, and I regret that my words suggested otherwise. I just want us to win, and I will be better at finding ways to help.”
Yang reposted his cohost’s message and chimed in to say, “Should not have cursorily weighed in on this. Understanding the platform and will use it more responsibly.”
“Don’t waste your money sending to Jasmine Crockett. Do not do it,” Rogers said.
“I must agree,” added Yang.
“You’re going to waste your money,” Rogers said. “Take it from someone who sent [2020 U.S. Senate candidate] Sara Gideon a ton of money in Maine. Just don’t do it. Don’t waste your money. Don’t do it.”
Later in the podcast, Rogers took a moment to qualify his earlier statements on Crockett. “She’s not going to win a Senate seat in Texas, you guys,” he said. “If Beto O’Rourke couldn’t do it, Jasmine Crockett is not going to do it. It’s nothing against her. It’s just that she is a politician and that she is very well-defined already. It’s my opinion that we are going to need someone who is less defined at this moment that then rises up.”
Instead, Rogers said he’s interested in James Talarico, a member of the Texas House of Representatives now running for U.S. Senate, whom Rogers said speaks to the middle too much but at least is less defined. “I’m just trying to win here, and I really feel differently than we did in 2016,” he said. “The way to win now is to go with the energy.”
In the comments on the podcast episode’s YouTube upload, listeners have expressed frustration with the two hosts.
“It’s super disappointing to hear the commentary on Jasmine Crockett,” one commenter wrote. “This type of discourse is not helpful and discourages people from voting. If you aren’t from [Texas] and/or aren’t educated on what’s actually going on here, do some in-depth research or just don’t bring it up. … Encourage people to register to vote and inform themselves on their candidates. Do not dissuade people from supporting a Black woman and then uplift a white man you don’t know much about. Both are good choices, and I’m proudly voting for Crockett. Do better, guys.”
On X, one user said Rogers and Yang “need to keep Jasmine Crockett’s name out their mouth.”
In reply, another X user wrote, “I just made a donation to @JasmineForUS’ senate campaign. I am inspired by her fearlessness, selfishness, intelligence, and dedication to this crap pile of a country.”
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