Getty Images

Atlantic staff writer Jemele Hill offered an apology on Wednesday after tweeting out an ambiguous quotation during President Trump’s State of the Union address, which a number of people then took as a call to violence against the president.

“Let me be clear: I have often disagreed with many of the president’s policies, his behavior and rhetoric, but I would never call for violence against him, or any person. I apologize for breathing life into such an absurd assumption,” Hill said in a tweeted apology Wednesday evening.

“If there’s a chance someone could arrive at that conclusion, I’d rather just say I’m sorry and move on,” she added in a follow-up explaining her decision.

Also Read: Former ESPN Anchor Jemele Hill to Host New Spotify Podcast 'Unbothered'

Quite a few people did arrive at that conclusion when Hill tweeted out a cryptic remarks urging Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to shout “GETCHO HAND OUT MY POCKET” during the State of the Union address on Tuesday. Hill later deleted the tweet.

The line is an unmistakable reference to the phrase yelled out at New York City’s Audubon Ballroom in 1965 — seemingly as a deliberate distraction just before the assassination of Malcolm X. The moment was first flagged by The Federalist and ex-Weekly Standard writer Mark Hemingway.

The instance is also prominently featured in the 1992 biopic titled “Malcolm X,” a clip of which you can watch here.

Also Read: Jemele Hill to Britt McHenry: 'Be Careful, Your Racism Is Showing'

Reps for Hill and to the Atlantic did not immediately respond to request for comment from TheWrap.

Hill is no stranger to highly charged Twitter commentary about President Trump. While an anchor at ESPN in 2017 she caused untold levels of heartburn for her employer after tweeting out that the Trump was a “white supremacist.” The network publicly rebuked her for it in a statement at the time.

Also Read: LeBron James' 'Shut Up and Dribble' Gets Premiere Date (Video)

“The comments on Twitter from Jemele Hill regarding the president do not represent the position of ESPN,” the network tweeted at the time. “We have addressed this with Jemele and she recognizes her actions were inappropriate.”

11 Media Losers of 2018, From Les Moonves to Michael Avenatti (Photos)

2018 was hard for a lot of media folks, but particularly so for this rogues' gallery. For some, it was MeToo. For others, industry headwinds were too much. And for more still, disgrace and ignominy came after just saying the wrong thing.
Wrap
Les Moonves: Once celebrated for his leadership at CBS, Moonves faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct for which he was ultimately fired. CBS said in December that it would seek to deny him a roughly $120-million severance package.
Getty
Laura Ingraham: Long a divisive figure (even on the right), the Fox News host might have avoided the losers' column were it not for a sponsor boycott launched against her by Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg in March. Months later, advertisers are still wary of appearing on the program.

Also Read: Laura Ingraham Compares Confederate Statue Protesters to ISIS
Getty
Michael Ferro/Tronc: The leadership of Michael Ferro has now made Tronc synonymous with mismanagement. In addition to leaving the top job with a #MeToo scandal over his head, Ferro is now facing accusations of making anti-semitic remarks and paying off an LA Times editor who reportedly had the comments on tape.
YouTube
Media Publishers: From Mic.com on the left to The Weekly Standard on the right, publishers came in for a beating, with some closing up entirely. With few exceptions, legacy shops saw print sales decline, while digital-first properties continue to face the crushing economics of turning pageviews into profits.
YouTube
Breitbart: It's a name you probably haven't heard for a while. Once a key part of the engine which powered Trump's improbable election, the website had long fallen off most radars. A sustained pressure campaign against advertisers on the site by Sleeping Giants has also taken a bite out of revenue.

Also Read: Breitbart and Drudge Hit by Google Cloud Issue, Go Offline
YouTube
Marc Lamont Hill: Once a CNN regular, Hill lost his job as a contributor on the network after making remarks about Israel and Palestine at the UN that many called anti-semitic. A chummy photo with Louis Farrakhan -- who has compared Jews to termites -- didn't help matters for him either. He remains a tenured professor at Temple University.

Also Read: CNN Fires Contributor Marc Lamont Hill Over Israel Remarks (Video)
YouTube
CBS and "60 Minutes": Both the network and its marquee news program took a beating this year. "60 Minutes" executive producer Jeff Fager was forced out in a MeToo scandal, while details of an investigation launched by the network generally hit the press before reaching top management.
CBS
Michael Avenatti: Just months ago, the lawyer representing Stormy Daniels in her legal fight with Donald Trump was considered a serious presidential contender. But his reputation took a hit after taking on a questionable MeToo claim against Brett Kavanaugh, and he disappeared for good after being booked on felony domestic violence charges in November (though he was not charged).

Also Read: Michael Avenatti Says He Won’t Run for President in 2020 After All
Getty
Andy Lack: The MSNBC/NBC News chief had a rough 2018. His network's decision to pass on Ronan Farrow's historic MeToo reporting continues to reverberate. His big bet on Megyn Kelly also flopped and became a multi-million dollar ulcer which still remains far from resolved.
Getty
Gavin McInnes: Always on the fringes, McInnes had nevertheless carved a niche for himself as an online provocateur, a host on CRTV and as the head of his own (occasionally violent/racist) fraternal organization, The Proud Boys. By the end of 2018, he was banned from Twitter, dropped by CRTV and had resigned from The Proud Boys.
YouTube
Univision: Univision spent $135 million on Gawker Media back in 2016 and has spent most of the time since mismanaging the former properties and being called out by its own writers. Amid buyouts to editorial and broad layoffs elsewhere, Univision revealed it is looking to cut its losses and unload the websites once and for all.

Also Read: Univision Unveils New Strategy to Drive Millennials From Their Phones to the TV (Exclusive)
YouTube

1 of 12

2018 was a rough year for media, and for this rogues’ gallery, the damage was particularly catastrophic

2018 was hard for a lot of media folks, but particularly so for this rogues' gallery. For some, it was MeToo. For others, industry headwinds were too much. And for more still, disgrace and ignominy came after just saying the wrong thing.

View In Gallery