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Melissa Harris-Perry apologizes for mocking Romney's black grandchild

MSNBC hosts apologized for using the Romney adoption of a black child for comedy, but refused to back down from their criticism of the GOP on race issues.

By Gabrielle Levy
The Romney family, with adopted grandson Kieran, on Mitt's lap.
1 of 2 | The Romney family, with adopted grandson Kieran, on Mitt's lap.

MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry apologized after a segment poking fun at the Romney family, which earlier this year welcomed an adopted baby grandson.

Sunday's Melissa Harris-Perry show featured "photos of the year," which included the family photo released by the Romneys that "a lot of people had emotions about."

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The parents' naming choice for the African American baby raised eyebrows: Ben and Andelynne Romney chose the name Kieran, which means "small dark one" in Gaelic, so Harris-Perry and her segment chose to mine the situation for comedy.

Harris-Perry had nothing but good things to say about baby Kieran himself: "Isn't he the most gorgeous?" she coos, imagining the future wedding of Kieran Romney and North West, the daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

But she and panelists Pia Glenn and Dean Obeidallah went on to mock the Republican party for its (admitted) problems with race.

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“One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just isn’t the same,” Glenn said. “And that little baby, front and center, would be the one."

"I think this picture is great,” added Obeidallah. “It really sums up the diversity of the Republican party, the RNC. At the convention, they find the one black person.”

The segment, predictably, was slammed by other cable news personalities, including those at Fox and CNN, to which Harris-Perry apologized "without reservation or qualification."

While Obeidallah and Glenn also apologized to the Romney family, neither were as willing to back off their criticism of the GOP.

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