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January 16, 2018 3:51 pm
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‘You’re Not Going to Jew Us Down?’: US Reality TV Host’s Antisemitic Outburst Sparks Anger

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avatar by Ben Cohen

Texas Flip ‘N Move host Toni Snow (left) asks a guest “You’re not going to Jew us down?” in the Jan. 12 episode of the hit reality series. Photo: Screenshot.

The presenter of a top-rated US reality TV show is in the spotlight for using an antisemitic epithet during a scene in which a guest was challenged for not haggling over a price of $36,000.

In the most recent episode of the DIY Network‘s “Texas Flip N Move” — a reality show in which houses and other lodgings are refurbished and then “flipped” at a profit — that aired last Friday night, Jan. 12, presenter Toni Snow asked the guest whether he was going to “Jew us down” after she and her sister Donna informed him that $36,000 was their “price point” for a refurbished school bus.

After the delighted guest replied, “That’s a done deal right there, all day,” Toni Snow interjected: “You’re not even going to bicker a little bit? Jew us down?”

“Texas Flip N Move” is one of the DIY Network‘s leading shows, currently in its seventh season.

A spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League roundly condemned the show, pointing out the connection between Toni Snow’s remark and the ancient antisemitic depiction of Jews as driven by financial greed.

“It is disturbing to hear the antisemitic term ‘Jew us down’ come from the mouth of one of the members of the cast of Texas Flip N Move,” an ADL spokesperson told The Algemeiner. “It’s disturbing that this remark could have passed muster with the producers and made it into the broadcast. If anything, it shows the enduring power of age-old stereotypes about Jews and money. We urge the DIY Network to remove these offensive remarks from any future broadcasts of this episode.”

In response to a query on Tuesday afternoon from The Algemeiner, a spokesperson for Scripps Networks Interactive — which operates the DIY Network along with dozens of domestic and global channels that include the Food Network and Travel Channel — offered an apology for the offending clip.

“On a recent episode of Texas Flip N Move, an inappropriate comment unfortunately made it past our team,” the spokesperson said. “We were made aware of the issue shortly after it aired, and immediately pulled the episode to edit it for future broadcast. We apologize unreservedly for any offense caused.”

Other public figures have found themselves severely criticized for using the same phrase. In April 2013, Oklahoma state Rep. Dennis Johnson (R) expressed regret after using the phrase “Jew me down” in a debate about small business development, while in 2011, Texas state Rep. Larry Taylor apologized after he exclaimed “Don’t nitpick, don’t try to Jew them down,” in a dispute with the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association over its obligations to policyholders.

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