PodcastOne's Norm Pattiz Apologizes To 'Juicy Scoop' Host Heather McDonald Following Accusation Of Sexual Harassment

McDonald, Pattiz

Comedian HEATHER MCDONALD's "JUICY SCOOP" podcast left PODCASTONE earlier this year and is now at WONDERY, and the circumstances behind the move were left undisclosed until now, when MCDONALD went public with tape of an incident involving an off-color joke, that McDONALD has called sexual harassment, directed at her by PODCASTONE founder NORM PATTIZ, for which PATTIZ has now apologized.

On the current episode of "JUICY SCOOP" (Episode 73, at about 26:00 into the audio),  MCDONALD accuses PATTIZ of sexual harassment, playing a tape of a recording session in which her attempt at taping an ad for a bra made with memory foam was interrupted by PATTIZ, who first praised her show's performance, then, when she stumbled on the live read, joked, "Wait a minute? Can I hold your breasts? Would that help? These (hands) are memory foam."

MCDONALD said that the comment made her audibly nervous and recounted a subsequent negotiation that led to her leaving the network and taking the show independent and then to WONDERY; she added that she did not intend to talk about the incidents, not wanting to gain the reputation of being difficult to work with, but that recent allegations brought against DONALD TRUMP resonated with her because some of the reasons accusers said they were hesitant to say anything were similar to her rationale, and she felt she could not keep quiet.  

"I'm not trying to get money," she said.  "I'm just saying yeah this happened to me, and if people can learn from it to speak up, or if you're a man in business, let it be a lesson to you, don't say these gross things ... prominent people in the podcasting world said don't tell the story, I'm scared for you, he'll come after you, but now I realize it's 2016, and we don't have to be afraid anymore."

PATTIZ responded to MCDONALD with an apology, saying, "During the taping of a commercial for HEATHER's podcast I made an offhand comment, intended as a joke, which, in hindsight, was inappropriate. It has never been my intention to do or say anything that would offend, frighten or cause HEATHER any discomfort whatsoever. If I did, it was certainly unintentional and I sincerely apologize and would have done so immediately had I known." 

Here is "JUICY SCOOP" (Episode 73) in its entirety.

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