Ben Mulroney resigns as host of 'eTalk' after wife's racism scandal

Ben Mulroney announced that he is stepping down from his post as host of the CTV entertainment program "eTalk" after his wife Jessica Mulroney threatened the career of black lifestyle influencer Sasha Exeter.

Mr. Mulroney added that he hopes that him stepping down will bring about a non-white person who will take his place to take over the entertainment show, according to CTV News.

He made the announcement Monday on CTV's Your Morning—his first appearance since his wife's reality show "I Do, Redo" was dropped by Bell Media, which owns CTV News. This decision was made after Mrs. Mulroney threatened the career of Exeter.

CTV said that Mrs. Mulroney's behaviour conflicted with the company's "commitment to diversity and equality," and encouraged all of its employees "to listen to and amplify Black voices, and not to minimize them."

Though Mrs. Mulroney apologized to Exeter for her comments, she added that she respects the company's decision and plans to step away from work to reflect. Hudson's Bay, CityTV, and "Good Morning America" have cut ties with her.

Mr. Mulroney addressed the issue at the start of Monday's broadcast: "I love my wife, however it is not my place to speak for her, and today we are both committed to doing the work to understand more about anti-Black racism as well as learn and understand more about our blind spots," he said.

Mr. Mulroney, son of former prime minister Brian Mulroney, added that his "privilege has benefited [him] greatly."

"While I have certainly worked hard to build my career, I know that systemic racism and injustice helps people like me and harms those who aren't like me, often in ways that are invisible to us. This needs to change," he continued.

"More than ever, we need more Black voices, more Indigenous voices, more people of colour in the media as well as every other profession – and that is why I have decided to immediately step away from my role at etalk to create space for a new perspective and a new voice."

Mr. Mulroney said that he hoped the next person to take his place at "eTalk" would be "Black, Indigenous, or a person of colour, and they can use this important platform to inspire, to lead and to make change."

He qualified his stepping down with confirming that he would still remain with "eTalk" for red carpet events and other assignment, and intends to continue working on special projects with Bell Media.