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SEC Network host Peter Burns found himself in a bit of hot water over the weekend for statements made to a co-host.
Burns was heard making a reference about Benjamin Watson’s wife on a college football segment, which caused Watson to get visibly upset. When the show cut to commercial, both Burns and Watson left the set. They remained off-stage when the show returned to the air.
The clip of the joke, and the awkward aftermath, can be seen below.
😲 Not sure if this just turned into a random bit, but Benjamin Watson looks legit upset that Peter Burns made a joke about his wife. pic.twitter.com/XxLvhgrnx5
— Cork Gaines, Ph.D. (@CorkGaines) November 19, 2022
Watson: “As long as I get a text from my wife that says I look good, send me the text, baby.
Burns: “That’s not the text she sent me”
After viewers caught wind of the interaction, many immediately questioned whether it was a planned bit or if Watson was truly upset about the unexpected remark.
Peter Burns has now issued an apology to Watson, signaling that this was not scripted at all. The college sports anchor posted the following message on Twitter Monday evening to publicly say sorry to his co-host.
“While it was a joke, the truth is that I crossed the line, you should never joke about family so that I owe a public apology to Ben & Kirsten 100%.
“Benjamin Watson couldn’t have handled it better with his humor and class. We all good & proud to call him a friend & coworker.”
Watson has since accepted the apology and is ready to move on. While this incident now appears to be behind the two SEC Network personalities, Burns is likely to keep the names of his co-hosts’ wives out of his mouth in the future.