14 DAY TRIAL // Jessica Simpson’s weight has always fluctuated, but it has never been subject to so much media attention as it has been this past year. The singer packed on a few pounds more than usually right before breaking up from Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, and said weight gain was the topic of a cartoon skit that ran on Sunday on Fox. The network is now apologizing to the star, Us Magazine reports.
The cartoon skit ran on SNL and it showed the Dallas Cowboys in their locker room, laughing at Tony Romo’s expense and how he dated Jessica, even after she got fat. All the characters in the skit take part in one way or another to the Simpson bashing, in what Fox is now calling a poor attempt at humor. Moreover, the network is also apologizing to Burger King, which was also included in the skit as a sponsor, but that had no editorial input whatsoever.
“Burger King Corp. did not have any editorial input in the creation of the animation that ran last Sunday, and no one from Burger King Corp. approved it before it aired. Upon reflection, our poor attempt at humor was insensitive and we deeply apologize to anyone who might have been offended.” Fox says in the statement to the aforementioned magazine. Burger King too insists it was not involved in the making of the clip, therefore it did not approve of it before it aired.
“In the minute-long clip, an animated version of Dallas Cowboys starter Marion Barber remarks, ‘Man, I still can’t believe Tony [Romo] dated Jessica Simpson, even AFTER she blew up bigger than Flozell Adams!’ Tight end Jason Witten responds: ‘Unlike Tony, at least Jessica comes up big when it counts!’ Even Cowboys coach Wade Phillips chimes in: ‘Say Tony, is Jessica around? We could use a defensive tackle!’” Us Magazine writes of the clip in question.
As it’s been widely reported in the media, it was also Fox News who first started the Jessica Simpson “fat-gate,” when the singer put in an appearance at the 99.9 KISS 24th Annual Chili Cook Off looking somewhat heavier. At the time, Fox used the headline “Jessica Simpson Shocks Fans with Noticeably Fuller Figure,” which sparked furious comments from celebrities and glossy publications, and ultimately led to a heated debate – a debate that is yet to die down, one might say from the latest controversy around the skit.