FAMU band announcer Joe Bullard apologized for calling Alabama State’s plus-sized dance team “the new face of Ozempic.”The remark during a halftime show drew both backlash and defense on social media, with FAMU’s president issuing a public apology.Bullard, the voice of the Marching 100 for 50 years, described his comment as “lighthearted banter” that crossed a line.The university has not yet finalized what disciplinary actions, if any, will be taken against Bullard.
While the future of Florida A&M University’s longtime Marching 100 band announcer Joe Bullard remains unclear, a recent insensitive remark of his − which has made national headlines − is drawing both backlash and defenders of the Rattler legend.
And after the social media firestorm, Bullard offered an apology Monday night in a Facebook post where he addressed a Sept. 27 incident during the halftime of the FAMU-Alabama State University football game at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
It was written in an uncharacteristic somber tone from a man whose voice has long been associated with unabashed promotion of Rattler pride and igniting audience enthusiasm for the Marching 100.
Clearly, the backlash stung.
“Friendly competition and playful jesting have long been a part of HBCU (historically Black college and university) band culture, but I have come to understand that my words crossed a line,” Bullard wrote. “My intention was never to belittle or disrespect the incredible young people who represent our schools with such grace, talent and pride. They are the embodiment of our culture, and they deserve nothing less than our full respect.”
He went on to write that “As an elder who has been blessed to serve and witness the brilliance of our students for many years, I humbly ask for your forgiveness. It is my hope that we can continue to move forward together in the spirit of unity, excellence and mutual respect, regardless of the road ahead.”
After the ASU Honey Beez – a well-known plus-sized dance team that performs with the Mighty Marching Hornets – left the field following their Sept. 27 halftime performance, Bullard called them “the new face of Ozempic,” referring to a prescription medication used to manage type 2 diabetes and sold for weight loss.
“My comments directed toward the ASU Honey Beez were meant as lighthearted banter, but I now recognize that they came across in a way that was hurtful and disrespectful,” Bullard wrote.
“For that, I extend my deepest and most heartfelt apologies: first and foremost to the ASU Honey Beez, to Alabama State University, to the Alabama State University Marching Band, to Florida A&M University and to the fans and supporters of both institutions who were in attendance, or anyone else who heard my words. To anyone who was offended, I am truly sorry.”
The Democrat reached out to Bullard ahead of his apology. He declined to provide comment.
Meantime, the incident has circulated on news sites − including TMZ, Black Entertainment Television (BET) and HBCU Gameday − and on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, FAMU faculty, alumni and other individuals have been reacting to the offensive remark.
“I stand with ASU and want to make clear that those disparaging and classless remarks made today do not represent FAMU,” Tiffany Packard, a FAMU associate professor and chair of history, political science, geography and African American studies at the university, said in a Sept. 27 Facebook post. “Body shaming anyone, especially college students, is gross.”
The comment drew a quick public apology from FAMU President Marva Johnson after ASU’s president blasted the comments as “demeaning” and “disparaging.”
“Florida A&M University is taking immediate steps to ensure accountability within our organization and to prevent incidents like this in the future,” Johnson wrote.
When asked what FAMU’s plans for accountability are looking like for Bullard – and if he will still be the band’s announcer during the upcoming Oct. 4 FAMU football game in Atlanta, Georgia – a university spokesperson said updates regarding next steps have not yet been finalized.
More: FAMU president apologizes to Alabama State after band announcer’s ‘disparaging’ remarkWho is Joe Bullard, the voice of the Marching 100?
Since 1975, Bullard has been the voice FAMU’s “incomparable” Marching 100, and his role during the current football season marks his 50th anniversary as the band’s announcer.
He secured the role after former FAMU band director William P. Foster asked him to fill in temporarily for FAMU’s band announcer at the time during a Thursday night practice to time a halftime show, which led to him earning a permanent position as the band’s voice at the Orange Blossom Classic in Miami.
He has been awarded the key to the city by both Quincy and Tallahassee and has a spot in both FAMU’s Hall of Fame and the National Black Radio Hall of Fame.
In addition, Bullard was a program director for “Tallahassee’s #1 Big Station 96.1 Jamz,” where he was a featured radio personality who appeared from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays before unexpectedly leaving the station in May with no public explanation.
In August, Bullard joined FAMU as a part-time consultant in the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication, according to a university spokesperson. He assists with student success initiatives and fundraising, and he also produces radio IDs on WANM-FM 90.5, FAMU’s radio station.
More: Tallahassee radio legend Joe Bullard announces dual comeback and new FAMU role
Besides the remark at the football game, Bullard recently made headlines when he moved to sue Cumulus Media Inc., the owner of his former station, in August for age discrimination and for violating Florida’s Civil Rights Act, according to a complaint filed in Leon County Circuit Civil court.
Among the lawsuit’s allegations: Bullard said he was told by station managers the music he played was “too old.”
The lawsuit also noted that an HR director and station manager told Bullard that he was banned from Disney properties in any professional capacity for an alleged “sexually inappropriate comment to a female Disney employee during an event in late May 2025.”
Bullard, who’d been at the station since 1997 and worked as a program director, denied that allegation and wasn’t given any further details on the incident or the investigation, his lawsuit says.
Bullard’s remark drew scorn on social media
While Bullard has been known to throw shade at opposing HBCU bands, Instagram users said Bullard’s Sept. 27 remark was “out of line,” “classless” and “unnecessary.”
“That was distasteful,” an Instagram user commented. “He should be ashamed of himself. Those ladies are someone’s daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece and cousin. How dare he?”
At the same time, some people think the situation is being escalated more than it should be. “He didn’t make a mistake this time to own up to,” a Facebook user wrote. “Everybody else is soft.”
Acknowledging Bullard’s 50-year career, a FAMU alumnus called Bullard the “GOAT of HBCU band announcers,” encouraging him in a Facebook post to “keep your head up and keep being amazing.”
But many others said a public apology is necessary or that he should be suspended or fired outright.
“I’m glad she addressed the insensitive comment. It doesn’t matter whether you like her or not, as the current President of the University it was her responsibility to apologize,” one person wrote on Facebook. “It was the right thing to do. We should expect nothing less.”
“I think Joe needs to be put on ice for a few games,” another person wrote. “Don’t let him back until after the homecoming game.”
FAMU history professor Kimberly Brown Pellum expressed her support of the Honey Beez. A few years ago, Pellum created an interdisciplinary history course at FAMU called Black Beauty, which emphasizes the ways HBCUs create unique platforms for “all kinds of young Black women to experience adulation.”
“It is precisely what makes the Honey Beez and ASU such a radical cultural and visual phenomenon,” Pellum wrote in a Facebook post. “I bleed orange and green, but there is absolutely no excuse for a grown man to use his platform to disparage young women who should be celebrated for their gifts as highly skilled athletes, dancers and performers.”
“Our institutions offer something necessary in the tradition of affirming ourselves that no other place can,” she added. “We should all work to continue to uphold and honor that.”
In 2024 interview, Bullard said he dialed back smack talk
In an October 2024 interview with Andscape, an online publication focusing on sports and culture at HBCUs, on his widespread reputation for using catchy phrases during his half-time delivery, Bullard talked about one that got him in some trouble.
“I’ve had to give some apologies. I got in trouble. We were at Southern University, and there was this weave store with all the weaves and stuff. So, when [the] Southern majorettes came out, I said, ‘They’re un-be-weave-able.’ Dr. [Elmira] Mangum was the [FAMU] president then, and she just shook her head. She said, ‘They’re gonna kill us.’
Later in the interview, Bullard said he has since toned down such comments after hearing a grandmother, who didn’t realize who he was, commenting on the FAMU announcer talking about her “grandbaby’s hair”, calling it ‘un-be-weave-able.’
“That kind of stopped me from doing stuff like that because that [is] somebody’s daughter and somebody’s child. So now, I keep it within the realm. I don’t say nothing outlandish,” Bullard told the writer.
FAMU’s next football game, where the Marching 100 is expected to play, will be on Oct. 4 against Mississippi Valley State. The location has yet to be determined.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida. She can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.