Fetterman's wife calls for NBC to apologize after interview

Gisele Fetterman in an interview with The Independent has asked NBC to apologize after one of its reporters made on-air comments about the health of her husband, Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman.

NBC News’s Dasha Burns earlier this month interviewed Fetterman, who suffered a stroke in May where he discussed the effects it had on his auditory process. Fetterman used closed captioning during the interview, and Burns commented on his comprehension during an appearance on the network promoting the conversation.

“During some of those conversations before the closed captioning was rolling, it wasn’t clear he could understand what we were saying,” Burns said on NBC.

The interview raised fresh questions about Fetterman’s health as he faces voters in his closely watched race against Republican nominee Mehmet Oz next month, providing viewers with a close look at Fetterman’s recovery.

“I would love to see an apology towards the disability community from her and from her network for the damage they have caused,” Gisele Fetterman told The Independent.

She told the news organization that the NBC interview, which sparked a firestorm online, may cause damage to those with disabilities, citing messages from disabled voters expressing frustration.

“If this happened in a school, if this was a child that was ableist towards another child or a teacher, there would've been issues stated,” Fetterman told The Independent.

 “There would have been new training done,” she continued. “What is being done at the media after a reporter came out so openly ableist towards a person? I think shocked and appalled, but sadly not surprised. I know there's still so much to do, but it would be great to see some accountability, to actually see real change.”

The Hill has reached out to an NBC News spokesperson and Burns for comment.

The Fetterman campaign released a new ad on Friday in which Fetterman discusses his stroke following the interview.

“After my stroke, I was just grateful to see Gisele and our kids,” Fetterman says in the ad, which began airing on Saturday. “Across Pennsylvania, I keep seeing families that don’t have enough time to focus on each other. They’re struggling, left behind.”

Mehmet Oz, Fetterman’s Republican opponent, has repeatedly attacked the Pennsylvania Democrat over his health and agreement to only participate in one debate, which is scheduled for later this month.

He has demanded Fetterman release his health records, and the Republican National Committee is quick to tweet about Fetterman’s mispronunciations to highlight his trouble speaking since May.