Dr. Laura Returning to Airwaves After N-Word Controversy

The talk show host signs up for new show on Sirius XM after quitting radio

Dr. Laura said she was through with radio after repeatedly using the N-word on air, but she'll be back-- on satellite.

The radio talk show said in August that she's quitting radio when her contract ends Dec. 31, but an AP article leaked yesterday reports she's signed on with Sirius XM satellite radio to start hosting new program just two days later on Jan 2.

"The most important thing that appealed to me was the freedom to speak my mind without being attacked by activist groups. That just about make my heart and head explode," Schlessinger told APThe Hollywood Reporter wrote that the story was published prematurely Saturday and was retracted, but not before media outlets picked it up.

Slessinger's statement comes after coming under fire for racial comments she later called a "horrible mistake." When a caller asked her about using the N-word, she responded: "Black guys use it all the time. Turn on HBO, listen to a black comic, and all you hear is n---- n----, n----," according to transcripts and audio posted by Media Matters for America.

When the same caller complained that her husband's white friends and family making racist comments, Schlessinger argued the woman was "hyper sensitive" and said "Don't NAACP me," questioning whether she should have married outside her race.

Schlessinger said her new "Dr. Laura" show -- for which she signed a multi-year deal -- will feature interviews about situations "that are relevant to the morals, values, principles and ethics that I nag about everyday."

Although she's switching platforms, Schlessinger said she won't be toning down her content, the Daily News reported.

"When I talk about married couples staying together for the sake of the children, somebody's offended," she said. "When I talk about mothers staying home with their babies, feminists are offended. When I talk about how wives should have more sex with their husbands, women are offended."

Selected Reading: NY Daily News, NY Mag, The Hollywood Reporter

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