HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger will quit her talk show at the end of the year after being criticized for using the N-word during an on-air conversation with a caller last week.
"I made the decision not to do radio anymore," the 63-year-old Schlessinger said Tuesday on CNN's Larry King Live. "I want to regain my first amendment rights (of free speech). I want to be able to say what is on my mind, in my heart, what I think is helpful and useful without somebody getting angry.
Schlessinger will end the popular program in December when her contract expires, but she plans keep working via her blog, books, podcasts and a YouTube channel.
"I'm not retiring," she assured King. "I'm not quitting."
Schlessinger came under fire for a call she had with an African-American woman married to a white man. The caller said she was fed up with her husband allowing his family and friends to say things that she felt were racist. When the woman asked if the N-word was offensive, Dr. Laura said, "black guys say it all the time." The host then went on to repeat the racial slur several times.
Schlessinger also told the caller that she needed to lighten up.
"If you're that hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry out of your race," the host said.
Schlessinger apologized a day after the controversial Aug. 10 remarks.
"I talk every day about doing the right thing. And yesterday, I did the wrong thing," she told her listeners. "I didn't intend to hurt people, but I did. And that makes it the wrong thing to have done."
"I was attempting to make a philosophical point, and I articulated the 'n' word all the way out - more than one time. And that was wrong," she continued. "I'll say it again - that was wrong."
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