LL Cool J isn't exactly cool with Sarah Palin and her pals at the Fox News Channel.
The rapper-actor has called out Alaska's favorite moose-stew maven and her FNC overlords for "misrepresenting" him by including a two-year-old interview in a promo for a Palin-fronted special set to air Thursday.
"Fox lifted interview I gave in 2008 to someone else & R misrepresenting to public 2 promote Palins Show," he tweeted.
LL's Twitter response came after a fan asked why he was supporting Palin and the cable news network since "Fox News hates black people!"
The 42-year-old MC, real name James Todd Smith, gave the sit-down in 2008 as part of Fox's Real American Stories and execs acknowledged taking the clip from that. But that didn't stop them from deploying the footage to lure viewers into assuming Palin might have actually spoken with him.
Fox retaliated with a snarky statement saying that not only have they removed the offending clip from the promo, but they will now no longer air the entire LL Cool J interview as part of Palin's show, which is set to preempt On the Record With Greta Van Susterin.
"Real American Stories features uplifting tales about overcoming adversity and we believe Mr. Smith’s interview fit that criteria," read a statement from the network. "However, as it appears that Mr. Smith does not want to be associated with a program that could serve as an inspiration to others, we are cutting his interview from the special and wish him the best with his fledgling acting career."
This to a guy who's been acting in movies since the mid-'80s (Halloween: H20, Deep Blue Sea, Charlie's Angels, etc.), and whose current CBS hit, NCIS: L.A., has ratings Fox News can only dream about?
Team Cool J issued a follow-up statement today clarifying his nonparticipation once and for all.
"Contrary to what was reported, LL Cool J was never scheduled to be a guest on Real American Stories with Sarah Palin this week," the statement read. "The show had planned to use an interview from 2008 that was being repurposed without LL’s permission. This statement is not a reflection of any feelings LL has toward Fox News or Ms. Palin, whom he has never met, rather a clarification of what we have seen published in the media."
In other words, LL is still cooler than Fox. Besides, we're guessing more people will watch him perform at the NCAA Men's Final Four this weekend in Indianapolis than will tune in for Palin.
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