Kudos to the gluten-free community once again.
After Hoda completely insulted the entire gluten-free community, our community rose to the occasion and absolutely bombarded The Today Show on Twitter and on Facebook.
The comments on their Facebook page were exceptionally gratifying. Whereas Disney had their defenders, it seemed nobody was coming to the defense of these two…cough, cough…journalists.
The comments ranged from incensed (“These two people, especially Hoda, need to take a look at themselves. When did it become okay to make fun of other people’s diseases?!?!”)…
…to heartbroken (I couldn’t watch until just now. I cried. I am saddened to my core that such frivolous behavior could take place. It is just not ok to mock people who are ILL! I have no answers and seriously no more words.”)…
…to comical (“Hmmmm….being gluten intolerant means I can’t ever date Hoda? At least I found an upside to being gluten intolerant! Thank you god!”).
So during yesterday’s show, Hoda offered up an apology. You can watch the video above.
Am I happy it was at least acknowledged? Most definitely.
Do I think she felt bad about it? Probably.
Do I think it was a lame apology and a missed opportunity to educate? Absolutely.
It was more of a “I wish I didn’t say that” instead of a “Here is why I shouldn’t have said it” type of apology.
No mention of celiac disease. No mention of gluten intolerance. Just hemming and hawing and finally saying “food issues.”
But it is a small victory and that is what creating Awareness is all about.
Somebody left a great comment on my Facebook page that I think sums up our fight for celiac awareness and education.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
They are no longer ignoring us. That’s progress.
And one last thing…the below image was taken directly from Kathie Lee and Hoda’s Facebook page today. Ironic…huh?
Yes, a weak apology! I am wondering about her comment, “I am riddled with food allergies” ??????? Sigh….
Right!! She is “riddled” so she you know, she “gets it”. Suuuuure, Hoda, whatever you need to tell yourself! I heard no apology, merely an attempt at justification. Just one more reason not to watch these pathetic hags!!!!
I dare say the most riddled thing about her is her logic.
That didn’t sound like an apology at all to be honest. It wasn’t even a half assed apology. It just didn’t exist. She’s an idiot and I think she needs to get filtered on that show.
That was not an apology, not even close. She made it about herself and her food allergies. I’m not even sure these should be in the same category. Allergy reaction; epi-pen. Gluten reaction, I don’t see you for days Gluten Dude because you’re so sick. Food allergy, Can’t have the same food you’re eating. Gluten Dude: Packed his own food this past weekend and no one better touch it!!!!
Ridiculous and lame-ass effort by the Today show to supposedly apologize.
Spot on Aaron.
Sadly, I don’t expect a real apology from these types. But we’ve got a start.
Way to go, Everyone! Change will happen, slowly but surely through events like this one.
Last but not least, People, change your thoughts and you change your world….(Hmmm, I just might make that my new sign off from my answering machine to all correspondence.) Catchy.
I feel like they need a weekly segment of their show that is called “Apology Corner.” They seem to offend a new group of people every day with their stupid commentaries. Just googling “Hoda apologizes” came up with about 20 articles from this year alone!
A very weak apology, yes, but at least it wasn’t just swept under the rug.
Small victories.
We’ll take it.
Consider the source!! “Offending people with food issues with all the allergies I have”? Umm WTF? So again its about her. Maybe we can find a “cave man” that will go stone age on her ass, thump her with a club & drag her off by her weave.
As for her partner in crime KLG, poor precious cody the focus of everything while she pays for anything he wants with child labor STILL making her clothes. But boo hoo hoo she didn’t know.
If this is the best today can do, time to pull the plug!!
I thought bringing it back to her was interesting also…in a sad kind of way.
not at all an apology and ok that’s what they are. frivolous superficial old hags who don’t get it and only pretend to care about things other than superficial if its popular at the time. good bye superficial hags, don’t need or want to be associated with you anyway. at least they got some publicity and that’s all that they were after. but.. if one of their kids had celiac disease it would be an Event. count on that.
Now let’s see them do a top of the line report on celiac disease, starting with an honest apology and going on from there…
Hey look…a pig just flew by my window 😉
if only hoda could have seen what it was like to go undiagnosed until I ended up in hospital with renal failure, severe anemic dehydrated, after blood test, endoscopy to find out all of this was caused by celiac disease. After bags of iron and blood things began to get better for me. After two week stay in hospital i got to come home with weekly visits for iron iv’s. Dh rash still flares up when least expect it even being gluten free for nearly a year. So yes hoda this is very funny huh ?.I will never watch your show and only hope you will come to realize just how hurtful your stupidity is to those of us that suffer with this on a daily basis.
I was going to say that was a half-assed apology, but then I realized it is not even that. Quarter-assed?? Felt and sounded like a 5 year old apologizing for something because mom and dad told her to.
Yeah, pretty much what it was. If she felt bad at all it was that she felt bad because her producers made her feel bad. It was very much like a child being forced to apologize. I’d feel a whole lot better about it if it at all appeared that she gave half a shit instead of forcing it.
Hoda-
Your name apparently means thankfulness. You should be thankful that after your lame ass remarks and apologies you still have a job.
bite me.
Jersey Girl
LOVING THIS ^^^^^
JG for new today show celiac correspondant!!!
You kill me JG. Don’t ever change.
Haha – another slam-dunk for Jersey Girl. Thank you & high-five 🙂
I too am gluten intolerant, I get very ill if I accidentally ingest it.
I’m sure if either of these women were to develop issues with gluten they would see the seriousness of it. It’s like the saying,
“My reality is my reality.” Are all of us as sensitive to the myriads of issues others face in their daily lives, especially if it’s not something we’re familiar with? “When we know better, we do better.”
I sent them a tweet yesterday saying my son has Celiac Disease, he’s not weak/peaky he’ ill. Do us a favor and shut your mouth!
It was the nicest thing I could think of…….
I was really kidding about gluten intolerance stopping me from dating Hoda…..I wouldn’t date her if all I ate was bread. I don’t and didn’t feel that strongly about this either way….I get why people are getting “gluten free fatigue”, it is becoming trendy in some circles. But honestly, I would not call what I just saw an apology, it was more an acknoledgment.
My advice? Quit watching. I stopped watching shows like this – shows full of “expert advice” given by celebrities – and fill the time with reading. Much happier and much better informed, LOL.
Understood. But changing the channel won’t help change the world.
I have to admit that before I knew gluten was making me sick, I thought gluten free people were just picky eaters. I was raised hearing my grandfather say, “It’s not what you want that makes you fat, it’s what you get…” Having gluten sensitivity has pretty much humbled the crap out of me. (No pun intended:-) I think Hoda is just ignorant. Let’s face it, most of the people we interact with every single day are completely clueless about gluten sensitivity and think it’s part of a fad diet. Perhaps this is another opportunity to educate more than get all offended just because she happens to be a celebrity. I don’t watch the show, and I’m glad Gluten Dude brought this to our attention. Mostly, I hope Hoda will be educated by someone she knows and cares about. That’s where the real change happens. One relationship at a time.
Keep up the good work!
I agree with Sherry. Lame and weak apology. Celiac disease is very isolating especially for me at work. If there is a pot luck, the only thing I can eat are fruit and vegetables and whatever I bring. And the “oh I forgot, you can’t eat this”. But I fill my time reading, or watching television with no bimbo advice.
That was an apology? She said she offended “the gluten people” by saying she wanted a man that wasn’t picky and would pick his steak up with his hands. That’s not what offended “the gluten people”. Sorry, Hoda. You didn’t get it.
Unfortunately it’s very much a part of our culture that people with health concerns are seen as weaker than other people. Since our society also prizes strength more in men than in women, this means that men with health issues are going to have a harder time being taken seriously by women who cling to these ideas about gender norms. It’s a bit like being short; although guys who have celiac or gluten intolerance can’t help it, some people are still not going to be able to get over it, and still aren’t going to be attracted to them. The same does go for women, too, especially since there’s also a strong push to be “one of the guys” and eat/drink whatever is put in front of them. Honestly, people just rule out other people way too easily for all kinds of reasons, many of which should have been left behind in human evolution by now.
This show is incredibly annoying and my comment isn’t intended to justify anything that was said on it. I haven’t watched the apology but I’m sure it’s equally annoying.
Oh, also, didn’t mean to imply that I think there’s anything wrong with being short. Just that some people feel that way! (A lesson in how easy it is to be accidentally offensive.)
Hmm, l taught Interpersonal Communication courses for years and have a degree in linguistics, so I am willing to see if there’s an apology buried in there somewhere….I’ll have to examine what was actually said…
(give me a second to watch it a few times and try not to vomit while I do….)
Okay, here’s my take :
I heard no apology whatsoever.
She calls us the “gluten people” (dismissive and rude and well, WRONG)
“I’m riddled with food allergies” too. Hmmmm…
People who turn the conversation back to themselves when faced with having to “own up” to their mistakes are attempting to create a false “comraderie” of some sort as if to say “I understand you, see –because I have something sort of like it and therefore, I really did not say anything wrong”. Sneaky, huh?
Not working, lady.
She used to be a serious journalist….what the hell happened to her?
I tried to give her a break. I watched it a few times, thinking maybe I missed something…but now, I just have to agree with our Jersey Girl’s response. 🙂 so, yeah…..bite me, too.
Whew, you watched it a few times.(You gotta admit that the inspirational quotes leave you feeling better, right.)
oh yes, definitely! 😉
and Norman Vincent Peale also said this:
“Be interesting, be enthusiastic… and don’t talk too much.”
wish they took that one as their “inspirational mantra”.
I am sitting here thinking…ala Rodney Dangerfield….”so, what do we have to do to get some freakin’ respect??”
.
There’s gotta be something we can do with the moniker “Gluten People” ie bumper sticker or wait, horror flick “Revenge of the Gluten People”…..sigh
oh I think we’re living IN it…”Revenge of the GLUTEN HEADS”…mmwhahahahaha!
No S**t, Sherlock!
Irish, when will you run out of surprises? A degree in linguistics? I melted. No degree here; only a geeky fascination for sociolinguistics and pragmatics.
Speaking of pragmatics, an apology is not a reaction to another person’s behavior; it’s a reflection and remorse for one’s own conduct. You can’t say, “I’m sorry you got mad.” or “I’m sorry you took it the wrong way.” and call in an apology. There is no apology in this clip.
“I’m sorry the Gluten People got mad.” is not the same as “I’m sorry I was a dink.”
And can I ask this: What type of Bizarro World is it when Kathie Lee Gifford is the shaky voice of reason?!?! She did a decent job of trying to stop Hoda’s prattle tale.
“when will you run out of surprises?”
hopefully, never my sweets….;)
To me, an apology requires sincerity, humility, admission of guilt, and making amends. Done correctly, one graciously accepts it.
Did not see that from her at all…….just a smirky laugh and a big ole bumble of bimbo.
“All the Gluten People” Is that like “All the Single Ladies”?
What’s with the big honkin’ hamburger buns in the front of the shot?!?!
I was one of those who twitted yesterday and today’s response was not an apology as far as I am concerned. They are being blackballed in this house!
Pretty lame but better than nothing. She actually thinks she is funny but I only hear her laughing.
I happened to stumble on your page just a few days ago. I am so happy to find a community that doesn’t think it’s all sunshine and roses. I saw her comments, then I saw her “apology” to the “Gluten People” and I noted some things..
1. We are NOT Gluten people, we are Celiacs or Gluten Intolerant. That means we are Gluten Free people. Yes, it matters.
2. I would classify that apology as lame at best. My 5 year old sounds exactly the same way when I tell him to say sorry to his brother for something.
3. How is it that in ALL of Today and NBC there seems not be a single person with Celiac or Gluten Intolerance??? Because surely if there was someone there, a bunch of educating would have happened!!!
4. As a “Journalist” isn’t their “creed” to be responsible in their reporting? I know that it’s Today, but still when they screw up this bad, shouldn’t they feel compelled to find the correct information? It’s not that it’s that hard to find… Just ask Google, or the 1000s of PO’d facebook posters.
Ok, my 2 cents, rant over.
My Hubs just found this article:
http://www.examiner.com/article/more-celebrities-and-athletes-are-eating-gluten-free
Look on the first list….
Cody Gifford!
If that’s true, then Kathie Lee should have gotten in her face about it.
Coward.
I notice that list mentions Chelsea Clinton has CD. Has this been confirmed?….because the last time I saw an interview with Bill Clinton,
he said he was vgegan and GF for his heart health, but I would think he would have mentioned celiac in the family, since he is such a vocal advocate for so many good causes.
Would be good to have another high profile voice on our side. Jennifer Esposito (love this gal!) is the only one willing to put herself out there for us. A little back up from a Clinton would be fantastic!!
sorry typo…should say vegan. darn “morning hands” 🙂
I remember when she got married that her wedding cake was gluten free and I think there was some mention of her being Celiac. I can only recall because it was before the “fad” and hearing gluten free in the press was fairly rare.
Faster than a speeding bullet when running to the restroom, stomach cramps more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall bread aisles in a single bound. We are The Gluten People!!!
Seriously, the initial segment didn’t piss me off nearly as much as her “apology” did. I was giving Hoda a pass for letting her mouth run without engaging her brain (because that is what they always do), but she had time to reflect and plan what to say for the faux apology. And that was what she came up with? The Gluten People?
I am proud to be a Gluten Person!
guess we need yet another TEE SHIRT
“Proud to BE Gluten Free!”
and on the back
“You Wish You Were as Cool as Me, Hoda”.
Hope it’s ok to post this here
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/676/859/194/today-show-coverage-of-celiac-disease-and-gluten-intolerance/
I apologize to the journalist for having to put up with the ridiculous comments in the first place….