Right after the Haitian earthquake, Sirius/XM radio host Todd “Bubba the Love Sponge” Clem took to Twitter with this helpful missive: “F*** Haiti.” Perhaps realizing that this subtle, nuanced point needed to be expanded upon, he then graced the airwaves with the following (courtesy of the St. Petersburg Times):
“I didn’t want any death and destruction, but I’m a little Haiti-ed out, I gotta say,” said Clem, who first sent his Twitter post Jan. 14, making similar comments that day on his morning show, broadcast locally on WHPT-FM 102.5 (The Bone). “This seems to be a celebrity shakedown, with every Bruce Springsteen wannabe going on TV for a telethon.”
Bubba apologized for the comments, but that didn’t stop Total Nonstop Action Wrestling star Kia “Awesome Kong” Stevens from offering a rebuttal during a Jan. 18 TNA event at which Bubba was announcing. According to the women’s wrestling site Diva-Dirt.com:
Controversial radio host and TNA personality Bubba the Love Sponge revealed on his radio show this morning that Knockout Awesome Kong punched him in the face after his disgusting comments about the tragedy in Haiti. The incident took place at yesterday’s Impact taping and resulted in Bubba being sent home.
As has been well documented here at Diva Dirt, Kong has been a driving force in the wrestling community in raising funds for Haiti.
Not sordid and depressing enough for you yet? Just wait, there’s more, courtesy of the DC’s own Alex Pappas:
A Florida radio host who boasts a following of loyal listeners called “Bubba Army” says the accusation that he verbally harassed a black, female professional wrestler called Awesome Kong over the phone with racial epithets is the “most absurd s*** I’ve seen or heard.”
Bubba the Love Sponge told the Daily Caller — in his first print interview since Awesome Kong accused him of making a harassing phone call — that “I don’t know who called her, if anybody, but it certainly wasn’t me.”
In court papers filed last week, Kon , a performer for the Total Nonstop Action wrestling network whose real name is Kia Stevens, alleges that Bubba, 42, called her at home and yelled racial slurs at her. Ridiculous, counters Bubba, saying he hardly knows Stevens and can prove that the charges are completely false.
Bubba claims that he can account for his whereabouts at the time the alleged call was made, including phone records, eyewitness accounts, and surveillance video from his studio.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to fill the bathtub with Lysol and soak until this feeling goes away.