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\u00a0FAMU-Alabama State University football game<\/a>\u00a0at Bragg Memorial Stadium.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Clearly, the backlash stung.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n 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.”<\/p>\n After the ASU Honey Beez \u2013 a well-known plus-sized dance team that performs with the Mighty Marching Hornets \u2013 left the field following their Sept. 27 halftime performance, Bullard called them \u201cthe new face of Ozempic,\u201d referring to a prescription medication used to manage type 2 diabetes and sold for weight loss.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n The Democrat reached out to Bullard ahead of his apology. He declined to provide comment.<\/p>\n Meantime, the incident has circulated on news sites \u2212 including TMZ<\/a>, Black Entertainment Television (BET)<\/a> and HBCU Gameday<\/a> \u2212 and on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, FAMU faculty, alumni and other individuals have been reacting to the offensive remark.<\/p>\n “I stand with ASU and want to make clear that those disparaging and classless remarks made today do not represent FAMU,\u201d Tiffany Packard,\u00a0a FAMU associate professor and chair of history, political science, geography and African American studies at the university, said in a Sept. 27 Facebook post.\u00a0\u201cBody shaming anyone, especially college students, is gross.\u201d<\/p>\n The comment drew a quick public apology from FAMU President Marva Johnson<\/a> after ASU’s president blasted the comments as “demeaning” and “disparaging.”<\/p>\n “Florida A&M University is taking immediate steps to ensure accountability within our organization and to prevent incidents like this in the future,\u201d Johnson wrote.<\/p>\n When asked what FAMU’s plans for accountability are looking like for Bullard \u2013 and if he will still be the band\u2019s announcer during the upcoming Oct. 4 FAMU football game in Atlanta, Georgia \u2013 a university spokesperson said updates regarding next steps have not yet been finalized.\u00a0<\/p>\n More: FAMU president apologizes to Alabama State after band announcer’s ‘disparaging’ remark<\/a>Who is Joe Bullard, the voice of the Marching 100?<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n He secured the role after former FAMU band director William P. Foster asked him to fill in temporarily for FAMU\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In addition, Bullard was a program director for “Tallahassee’s #1 Big Station 96.1 Jamz,\u201d where he was a featured radio personality who appeared from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays before unexpectedly leaving the station<\/a> in May with no public explanation.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, FAMU\u2019s radio station.<\/p>\n More: Tallahassee radio legend Joe Bullard announces dual comeback and new FAMU role<\/a><\/p>\n 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<\/a> in Leon County Circuit Civil court.\u00a0<\/p>\n Among the lawsuit’s allegations: Bullard said he was told by station managers the music he played was “too old.”<\/p>\n 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.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Bullard’s remark drew scorn on social media<\/p>\n While Bullard has been known to throw shade at opposing HBCU bands, Instagram users said Bullard\u2019s Sept. 27 remark was \u201cout of line,\u201d \u201cclassless\u201d and \u201cunnecessary.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat was distasteful,\u201d an Instagram user commented. \u201cHe should be ashamed of himself. Those ladies are someone\u2019s daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece and cousin. How dare he?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n At the same time, some people think the situation is being escalated more than it should be. \u201cHe didn\u2019t make a mistake this time to own up to,\u201d a Facebook user wrote. \u201cEverybody else is soft.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Acknowledging Bullard\u2019s 50-year career, a FAMU alumnus called Bullard the \u201cGOAT of HBCU band announcers,\u201d encouraging him in a Facebook post to \u201ckeep your head up and keep being amazing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But many others said a public apology is necessary or that he should be suspended or fired outright.<\/p>\n “I\u2019m glad she addressed the insensitive comment. It doesn\u2019t 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.”<\/p>\n “I think Joe needs to be put on ice for a few games,” another person wrote. “Don\u2019t let him back until after the homecoming game.”<\/p>\n 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\u00a0create unique platforms for \u201call kinds of young Black women to experience adulation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt is precisely what makes the Honey Beez and ASU such a radical cultural and visual phenomenon,\u201d Pellum wrote in a Facebook post. \u201cI 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur institutions offer something necessary in the tradition of affirming ourselves that no other place can,\u201d she added. \u201cWe should all work to continue to uphold and honor that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2024 interview, Bullard said he dialed back smack talk<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve 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, \u2018They\u2019re un-be-weave-able.\u2019\u00a0Dr. [Elmira] Mangum<\/a>\u00a0was the [FAMU] president then, and she just shook her head. She said, \u2018They\u2019re gonna kill us.\u2019<\/p>\n Later in the interview, Bullard said he has since toned down such comments after hearing a grandmother, who didn\u2019t realize who he was, commenting on the FAMU announcer talking about her \u201cgrandbaby\u2019s hair\u201d, calling it \u2018un-be-weave-able.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThat kind of stopped me from doing stuff like that because that [is] somebody\u2019s daughter and somebody\u2019s child. So now, I keep it within the realm. I don\u2019t say nothing outlandish,\u201d Bullard told the writer.<\/p>\n FAMU\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n (This story was updated to add new information.)<\/p>\n Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network \u2013 Florida. She can be reached at\u00a0tjean@tallahassee.com<\/a>. Follow her on X:\u00a0@tarahjean_<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Joe](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/67d7006e-df13-40cc-b298-ad903c3a95eb-FAMU_Homecoming_102921_TS_253.jpg\")
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