MSNBC host Joy Reid appeared with a Potato Head toy during her show on Thursday and blasted Fox News, saying that the network has been obsessed with talking about the toy in recent days.
Reid said the network is ignoring issues such as healthcare and giving airtime to the classic toy, which made news this week when Hasbro announced that it would drop the “Mr.” from the brand’s name in order to be more inclusive, the Associated Press reported.
“This is the equivalent of what Republican governance has become," the host said in a discussion with her panel. "Hanging around with a potato. And making sure the potato is a girl or a boy. That is literally the Republican platform."
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld, one of Hasbro's critics, said the toy is getting "neutered." Another one of the network's agitated anchors, Sean Hannity, also invited panelists on air to talk about the "controversy and confusion" that was created by Hasbro, CNN reported.
Reid asked the panel if the Potato Head matters to them.
"Is this important to you right now?" she asked. "That she is able to be a girl Ms. Potato Head? This is more important to them than healthcare."
In its announcement on Thursday, Hasbro said it will let kids create their own type of potato families without Mr. and Mrs. designations, giving them the option to choose from two moms or two dads.
"Potato Head has provided endless creative possibilities to our preschoolers for almost 70 years and will continue to do so," Hasbro stated. "The possibilities to create your own families are endless with mixing and mashing all the parts and pieces."
The conservatives are also outraged with this week's news on Dr. Seuss, another brand that is making changes to eliminate insensitive symbols. As Blavity previously reported, the company made an announcement this week, saying it will stop publishing six of its books because of racist and insensitive imagery.
On Tuesday, Fox News dedicated an hour and nine minutes of airtime to Dr. Seuss, twice as long as its coverage of the coronavirus vaccination on the same day, Media Matters reported.