Michael Berry: Conservative "Blow the Mosque Up" Radio Host in Gay-Bar Hit-and-Run, Report Says (UPDATED)
KPRC has a report that Houston police are investigating a hit-and-run incident that involves KTRH host Michael Berry at a gay bar.
Michael Berry: Not a good driver?
Berry left T.C.'s Show Bar in Montrose around 11 p.m. January 31, drove in reverse for 70 feet and hit a car owned by the club's bouncer, which is always a bad move.
It was drag night at T.C.'s, the station said.
No charges have been filed, although an internal HPD memo obtained by the station says, "The suspect is Michael Berry, a local radio talk show host."
We've tried to contact Berry, who refused to comment to KPRC, but haven't heard back. (Update: Berry's response to our request for a comment: "Wish I could, but cannot.")
We did tune in his show to see if he was addressing the report his morning, but only heard him say, "I don't claim to speak for crackheads and welfare queens," which didn't seem related to the incident. (His pick of today's top stories did not include the report.)
Berry, a former city councilman, is your prototype fire-breathing Obama-hating right-wing talk show host. He earned nationwide attention (and, mostly, contempt) two years ago when he said of the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque":
I'll tell you this -- if you do build a mosque, I hope somebody blows it up...I hope the mosque isn't built, and if it is, I hope it's blown up, and I mean that.
He told us at the time, "I am passionate that building a mosque on that site is an affront to the families of victims," and on his blog somehow argued that he was not advocating bombing the mosque.
An occasional guest on his radio show is controversial drag performer Shirley Q. Liquor, who has been criticized for being racist.
KPRC says the HPD investigation is continuing, and includes security-cam video of Berry in the bar that night.
Update: The Houston Chronicle heard more of Berry's show this morning than we did, and reported he said:
"When you poke your finger in somebody's eye every day like I do, you make enemies," he said. "There will always be attacks on me...that I said this, or did that. It takes a toll on you personally, but you simply can't go and chase down every nasty thing said about you."
And, some tweets by Berry about the Grammys:
-- "Pepsi woman, trust me, what Elton wants is NOT what you got. #GRAMMYS"
-- "Shakira attacked by sea lion. Sources suggest it is Rosie O'Donnell, but I've not been able to confirm. Developing."
-- "Is that a dude or a woman on the far right? #GRAMMYS"
-- "Katy, I don't mean to be rude. Believe me. But your boobs are not worthy of being jiggled on national tv. U ain't even had kids & they bad."
Also, is it time to revisit Berry's Firehouse saloon incident?
Here's our cove-story profile on Berry when he was running for mayor and being accused of being a slumlord.
And we list five worse places than a gay bar that Berry could have been seen at, in terms of his audience's reaction.
Berry responds (somewhat) to the allegations, including bashing gay-bashers.
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