UPDATE: Univision Cancels El Azote Program and Terminates Contract With Dávila Colón

Jun 17, 2020
11:10 PM

UPDATE, June 18, 10:45am

Univision has terminated its contract with Dávila Colón. The following statement was sent to Latino Rebels:

“Earlier this week on WKAQ Radio in Puerto Rico, Luis Dávila Colón used an offensive, despicable slur. We do not tolerate or accept any such vile language or attitudes in our workplace or on our air. Upon investigating his broadcast, Univision has immediately terminated its contract with Mr. Colon and canceled his program. We deeply regret the utterance of this slur on our air in Puerto Rico.”

ORIGINAL STORY

This week, Latino Rebels reviewed the June 15 episode of the El Azote radio show, hosted by Luis Dávila Colón and broadcast by Puerto Rico’s WKAQ 580, which is owned by Univision Radio. During the second hour of the show, Dávila Colón, a non-Black Puerto Rican, was responding to a panelist when he said the N-word on air.

The context of the conversation was Dávila Colón’s defense of the controversy surrounding Kobbo Santorrosa’s La Comay show, who had portrayed Ana Irma Rivera Lassén, a Black Puerto Rican woman politician, as a stereotypical Black servant. According to Dávila Colón, Santarrosa’s comments through his puppet character were not racist because Santarrosa now identifies as Black and if Blacks in the United States can say words like “n•gger” to each other, why can’t Blacks in Puerto Rico make fun of each other too?

In response to Dávila Colon’s use of the N-word, Univision Communications issued a stern statement late Wednesday night to Latino Rebels, both condemning “the use of vile language” and stating that it “will take appropriate and swift action” as it currently reviews the audio from the show.

“We do not tolerate or accept the use of vile language or derogatory attitudes in our workplace or on our air. We are reviewing the audio in question from the recent airing of the El Azote radio program on WKAQ in Puerto Rico and will take appropriate and swift action,” a Univision Communications statement said.

Earlier this year, Dávila Colón was suspended by WKAQ after calling San Juan mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz a perra (“a female dog,” “whore” or “b•tch.”)

UPDATE, June 18, 9:03am

Dávila Colón took to social media and offered a five-minute explanation of the June 15 segment.

In this 5-minute video, Dávila Colón said that he is a not a racist and that he was using the N-word in context since he understands that in the United States, a White person would never use the N-word to a Black person but that Black people say the N-word to each other on comedy shows and movies. He also added near the end of the video that Univision has the right to do whatever it wants with his show, but that he stands by a claim that this is a leftist plot to get him on the air.

Earlier on Thursday, Dávila Colón accused Latino Rebels of being part of this leftist plot:

Our founder Julio Ricardo Varela tweeted back to Dávila Colón about his claims (with no evidence) about Latino Rebels’ reporting:

This story contains reporting by Julio Ricardo Varela.