Boston sports radio producer suspended and apologizes for using ethnic slur about ESPN's Mina Kimes

Boston sports talk radio producer Chris Curtis has been suspended after he appeared to invoke a racial slur about ESPN personality Mina Kimes. 

On WEEI's 'Greg Hill Show' the hosts were discussing Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo's plight to outlaw small bottles of alcohol in the city due to how often they are littered. 

The discussion prompted show personality Courtney Cox to ask the group for their five favorite nips, such as Skrewball, Dr. McGillicuddy's, and Fireball. 

Curtis interjected, 'Mina Kimes,' before giving a colleague a little smirk. 

Nip is also used as an ethnic slur against Japanese people and is a shortened version of Nippon, which is the word for Japan in the country. 

Chris Curtis faced backlash after appearing to use a racial slur about ESPN's Mina Kimes

When asked what his favorite nip was, Curtis responded by saying, 'Mina Kimes' (pictured)

American-born Kimes is half-Korean, not Japanese. 

Curtis opened Thursday's show with an apology and claimed that he meant to say actress Mila Kunis's name instead of Kimes, according to The Boston Globe's Chris Finn. 

He also announced that the radio station has suspended him until next Wednesday. 

'In a pathetic failed attempt at a one liner, I attempted to bring up Mila Kunis, which was not really that funny… sophomoric and sexist,' Curtis said, according to NBC Boston.

'But for reasons I don't understand, I said Mina Kimes. That was never the intention for me to say her name. It had nothing to do with the subject matter and it dragged her into a controversy through no fault of her own regarding a slur and her race and that was not at all what my intention was, but it doesn't matter because of the absolute chaos my words created for someone who's just doing her job covering the NFL at ESPN.'

He went on to apologize to Kimes directly, adding: 'So I want to apologize to Mina Kimes, I want to apologize for a stupid, lame attempt at a joke, something that there's just really no other way to put it… It was dumb and it was silly.'

Finn had previously reported that the radio station did not respond to multiple requests for comment but tweeted that 'corporate claims he [Curtis] meant Mila Kunis, not Mina Kimes.' 

DailyMail.com has contacted Audacy, WEEI's parent company for comment. 

The American-born ESPN personality is half-Korean, not Japanese

The producer claimed that he meant to say actress Mila Kunis's (right) name, not Kimes 

Meanwhile, Curtis's use of the slur came under intense scrutiny and criticism on social media. 

Kimes's ESPN colleague Sarah Spain tweeted: 'FYI – Nip is an ethnic slur against people of Japanese descent. What are we doing here, WEEI? PS, Mina isn't even Japanese, you jacka**.'

Following Finn's report, Spain came out swinging again, adding: 'When you have to play the 'I'm sexist' card to get out of your 'I'm racist' issue, you're really in the s**t.'

Kimes herself responded by replying to Finn's tweet with a meme from The Simpsons showing Bart's eyes glazed over. 

She also changed her Twitter profile photo to a picture of Kunis, an actress who was born in Ukraine, in a clever, subtle nod to the situation. 

ESPN stated: 'There's no place for these type of hateful comments, which were uncalled for and extremely offensive.' 

Kimes responded by tweeting a meme from The Simpsons showing Bart's eyes glazed over

She also changed her Twitter profile photo to a picture of Kunis in a subtle nod to the situation

Kimes's ESPN colleague Sarah Spain hit out at Curtis's disrespectful remark

The controversy comes just one month after Beasley Media Group suspended another Boston sports radio personality, Tony Massarotti, for making a racist joke about Black Americans. 

A former sportswriter for the Boston Herald and The Boston Globe, Massarotti had his microphone on for his radio talk show, Felger & Mazz, on 98.5 The Sports Hub when made the offending comment. Addressing cohost Michael Felger, who was working remotely, Massarotti referred to two African-American men sitting in the background.

'I wanna know now who the two guys behind you are,' Massarotti asked Felger, who was co-hosting the show from a hotel in New Orleans, according to WCVB. 

'They can't hear us, right? OK, so I would be careful if I were you. Because the last time you were around a couple of guys like that, they stole your car.' 

Massarotti faced backlash from show listeners in New England, for his comments, and he was suspended for one week without pay. 

He later apologized for his on-air remarks and admitted to taking his joke too far and that it 'hurts the case' of those who advocate for racial and social equality.

Beasley also mandated sensitivity training for all Boston-based employees at the company, which operates 62 radio properties, reaching 20 million listeners per week.