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“I read her statement and I was shocked,” the 40-year-old host said. “I made [the joke] as a reference to the hippie culture. It was a bohemian-chic reference, not about race, nor would it ever be. It was horrifying to have my name in a headline with words I have never been associated with in my life.”
Since the incident, Giuliana has maintained that she meant no harm with the joke, firmly denying racial undertones.
“On set, I made peace signs and I said boho twice,” she told the magazine. “It was edited. And my words were taken out of context. If I thought this joke could be interpreted another way, I never would have done it. I felt horrible.”
The anchor continued, “It was a very unfortunate incident… I’m so regretful that people interpreted the joke [as they did]. I hurt people and I feel terrible about that. And I learned a really important lesson that if people are offended, it doesn’t matter the intent.”
While there was no particular reason cited for Kelly Osbourne’s departure from the show, tensions were high as the purple-haired daughter of Ozzy Osbourne insisted she called foul before the joke heard ’round the world even aired.
With Kelly Osbourne and Kathy Griffin’s departure, the future of the show is up in the air, though Giuliana hopes to carry on with her one remaining co-star.
“[The show] without Joan was difficult from episode one,” Rancic admitted. “There were just all sorts of problems. I really believe it was only a matter of time before that specific show with that cast and that format fell apart.”