Jackson Jambalaya

Local media personality Barbie Bassett took her shot at her former employer, WLBT.  WLBT said thank you, very much, now we will take our own shot.   The two sides will continue to war as a recent settlement conference failed. 

Credit: Vicksburg Daily New

WLBT fired the star in 2023 after she made two racially controversial statements on the air.  Ms. Basset sued the tv station and its parent company, Gray Media, in U.S. District Court in December 2023.  The defendants in turn asked the Court for summary judgment in a motion filed on January 14, 2025.   

Ms. Bassett began her tenure at WLBT in 1999, where she quickly zoomed to popularity as the most popular "weatherman" in Mississippi.  After many years of appearing as the "weather gal", she moved over to the anchor desk at WLBT.  

The weekend of October 28, 2022 was ground-breaking for Jackson as ESPN's College Gameday arrived to cover the Jackson State University-Southern University game at Memorial Stadium.  No small affair this was.  The little episode posted below occurred during a WLBT live-shot from the stadium as Barbie & company tried to figure out who the ESPN celebrity guest picker would be. 

The reporter appeared to be surprised and her colleague at the desk challenged her.  Of course, local race-baiters and Facebook "journalists" saw their chance and fired up the masses.  Hot diggity DAMN!  We got us a racist!   Gray Media disciplined its employee for using the word "grandmammy" on the air as she asked a black reporter at the stadium about the secret guest picker.   

Mrs. Bassett's complaint states she did not "believe the word "grandmammie" had a racial connotation" but apologized.  Indeed, she stated in her response to the motion for summary judgment that "grandmammy" was what she always called her own grandmother.  Friends of the accused said they heard her refer to her own grandmother with that word in the past as she grew up in rural Quitman County. Oh, the guest picker was Dallas Cowboys fanatic Stephen A. Smith.   

Fast forward to March 8, 2023.  The plaintiff states: 

On March 8, 2023, Plaintiff was talking with a male news person  (on air) about a popular personality, Snoop Dogg, and made the statement “fo shizzle, my nizzle.” Defendant claimed that this comment was inappropriate.

All hell broke loose.  The media darling was no longer considered such at WLBT as she was relieved her  at WLBT as she was relieved her duties and subsequently terminated.  The firing generated no small amount of controversy as the "activists" demanded her head on a platter while black media personalities such as Charlemagne and Whoopi Goldberg said enough was enough as they defended her.  

Ms. Basset claimed age and race discrimination took place as she was replaced by a black woman in her early 30's.  The 51 year-old plaintiff argued: 

Plaintiff believes the television market in which she worked is primarilyAfrican-American. It is likely that Defendant regards being African-American and being young as desirable job requirements, and it is likely Defendant regards being older (fifty-one (51)) and white as job detriments. 

Gray Media is apparently enforcing a non-compete agreement against her.  The complaint charges: 

Defendant’s treatment of Plaintiff is especially outrageous because it required her to execute an unreasonable noncompete agreement, which substantially hinders her finding employment in her chosen career.

This noncompete agreement is unenforceable because Plaintiff’s discharge was without cause. Defendant’s attempt to enforce the noncompete is another outrageous act by Defendant. Plaintiff asks this Court to declare the noncompete agreement void. (KF Note: the employment agreement contains a non-compete restriction for a term of one year.) 

Ms. Bassett sued for actual, compensatory, and punitive damages in U.S. District Court in December 2023.  She also asked the Court to dissolve the non-compete agreement.  Her attorneys are Jim and Rachel Waide of Tupelo.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan, III.  

Gray Media asked Judge Jordan to throw out Ms. Bassett's lawsuit.  The company argued: 

Defendant denies Plaintiff’s allegations of race and age discrimination and asserts that it made the decision to terminate her employment after she twice used racially offensive language on air during her broadcasts. Both parties engaged in full discovery, the result of which is that the undisputed facts clearly demonstrate that no reasonable juror could find in Plaintiff’s favor.

Defendant also permits an inference of anti-white bias by operating a media training center where it trains almost exclusively black students to enter the news media business. The program director testified that going to an HBCU university made it more likely that a candidate would be accepted into this training program. Deposition of White, at p. 13, Exhibit “E.” Shockingly, seventy-five (75) students have been admitted into the program, but only three (3) were not students of color. Deposition of White, at p. 16, Exhibit “E.”

From this evidence, a jury could infer that being white is a negative factor in working for Defendant.

Gray Media claimed it offered Ms. Bassett's job to a white candidate before offering it to a black candidate.  However she responded the Court should not accept such a statement without evidence.  

The plaintiff's response concluded with a defense of her challenge of the non-compete clause:  

Should a jury determine that Bassett’s discharge was not in bad faith, a jury would still have to determine the factual issue of whether the non-compete agreement was unreasonable since it deprives the public of a skilled news anchor and meteorologist in an area notorious for tornados. Enforcement of the noncompete diminishes the public safety by removing a qualified meteorologist from the market, and it deprives Bassett of the ability to earn a living in the position for which she has substantial training and experience.

Judge Jordan ordered the two parties to appear at a settlement conference.  Ms. Bassett tried to get the conference postponed as she filed an unopposed motion to continue the conference.  Gray Media did not want to participate in such a conference until after the Court ruled on the summary judgment motion.  Ms. Bassett said her former employer is "unwilling to pay any substantial sum in settlement of the case" and she is "unwilling to accept anything other than a substantial settlement."

The Court said nice try and held the conference on February 21.  The two sides did not reach a settlement.  They will now await Judge Jordan's decision on summary judgment.