A comment about Alabama State’s Honey Beez dance group has really come back to sting a college football announcer.
During a halftime performance at Saturday’s NCAA college football game between Florida A&M University (FAMU), band announcer Joe Bullard spoke about the crew’s weight over the stadium’s speaker system.
After performing, the Honey Beez — a plus-sized dance team that performs with ASU’s Mighty Marching Hornets band — were leaving the field when Bullard dropped a body-shaming comment.
“Congratulate them, they’re now the new face of Ozempic,” the announcer said in a clip that has gone viral on social media.
What he says was meant to be a joke didn’t land at all, with the crowd clearly reacting negatively.
Ozempic is a prescription medication primarily meant to treat type 2 diabetes, but has been popularized for its ability to aid in weight loss.
Bullard is a FAMU alum who has served as announcer since 1975. He is known as the “Voice of the Marching 100” band and was inducted into the university’s Hall of Fame in 2010 and the National Black Radio Hall of Fame in 2022.
After a social media backlash, Bullard issued an apology on Monday night in a Facebook post.
“My comments directed toward the ASU Honey Beez were meant as lighthearted banter, but I now recognize that they came across in a way that was hurtful and disrespectful,” he wrote.
“For that, I extend my deepest and most heartfelt apologies: First and foremost to the ASU Honey Beez, to Alabama State University, to the Alabama State University Marching Band, to Florida A&M University, and to the fans and supporters of both institutions who were in attendance, or anyone else who heard my words.
“To anyone who was offended, I am truly sorry.”
FAMU president Marva Johnson also expressed her disapproval of the comment.
“I extend my deepest and sincerest apologies to the Honey Beez, the Mighty Marching Hornets, president Quinton Ross, and the entire Alabama State University community,” Johnson said of the incident.