On March 25, on MSNBC's Now with Alex Wagner, Ebony.com senior editor Jamilah Lemieux made an off-hand comment about an aspiring political candidate, and his fondness for country music, that some people found offensive. In the spirit of what the Johnson Publishing Company was built on, and still stands for—the promotion of tolerance—we regret the statement and offer an apology to any who were affected by those words.

Lemieux says, "My comment was intented to satirize and critique a politician and was not directed towards the genre of country music or it's fans. I realize that I did not make that clear and I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended."