Gurbir Grewal: New Jersey's Sikh attorney general calls out Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco's 'small-minded intolerance'

When "Dennis and Judi Show" hosts Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco went on air and blatantly said that they couldn't remember United States' first attorney general Gurbir Grewal's name, instead calling him "turban man," the duo probably didn't think of the repercussions they could face.

However, they were clearly in for a shock when Grewal received massive support from several quarters and the hosts were handed a 10-day suspension for their "demeaning and inappropriate" language.

In fact, Grewal himself lashed out at the duo on Twitter, calling out their "small-minded intolerance." And the support that New Jersey's Sikh attorney general received was heartwarming.

Grewal, who wears a turban and a full beard, said that he has three daughters and he had asked them to turn off the radio.

"My name, for the record, is Gurbir Grewal," he wrote on Twitter. "I'm the 61st Attorney General of NJ. I'm a Sikh American. I have 3 daughters. And yesterday, I told them to turn off the radio."

Speaking of the issue that affects many worldwide, Grewal added: "This is not the first indignity I've faced and it probably won't be the last. Sometimes, I endure it alone. Yesterday, all of New Jersey heard it. It's time to end small-minded intolerance."

Recalling past instances, he also spoke of the times he was called a "towel head" and a terrorist. He said he was also often asked to "go back home," despite the fact that he was born and raised in New Jersey.

New Jersey 101.5/WKXW-FM president Ron deCastro also admitted that Malloy and Franco's comments were in bad taste and were taken "seriously."

"Dennis and Judi are known for their plainspoken brand of humor, but in this case, the language used was clearly demeaning and inappropriate. New Jersey is a state that is rich in diversity, and our radio station has served as the people's voice for nearly 30 years," the Press Trust of India quoted deCastro as saying.

The radio hosts have also apologised for the racist slur on air and Malloy issued an apology on Franco and his behalf through a video message.

"On behalf of Judy and myself, I want to convey our very heartfelt apology to the state attorney general of New Jersey for the comments that came out on our show.

"He certainly deserves much more respect than that and importantly to the Sikh and South Asian community of New Jersey with which we've had a very strong and close relationship with over the past 20 years," Malloy said.

The radio station's website also carried an apology from Malloy which read thus:

"We offer our sincerest apologies to Attorney General Gurbir Grewal as well as the Sikh and Asian communities for a series of insensitive comments we made on our show. For 21 years, the Dennis and Judi show has been unscripted and free-form. We use humor and sarcasm to make a point and add color to the broadcast; in this instance, we were off the mark. It was a mistake we both deeply regret. We respect all cultures and beliefs and are deeply sorry for the pain caused to the Sikh community, our co-workers and our beloved listeners."

What happened on-air?

Malloy and Franco, as usual, were on the show on Wednesday, July 25, and were speaking of the action Grewal took in regards to temporarily suspending prosecution of marijuana cases in the state. However, things went south when Malloy said he couldn't remember Grewal's name and said that he was talking about the "guy with the turban."

"Turban man," co-host Franco injected, to which Malloy added: "Listen, if that offends you, then don't wear the turban, man, and I'll remember your name."

As if that wasn't enough, he continued the slur asking: "Is that highly offensive?" which had Franco replying: "To me? No. To people who wear turbans? Could be."