Members of an Arizona Native American tribe called for CBS to apologize for an offensive "drunk Indian" joke that was made on a recent episode of Mike and Molly.

The joke was made during the Feb. 25 episode of the show titled Molly's New Shoes, according to Indian Country.

The set up centered on titular Mike's mother, played by actress Rondi Reed, who refuted the idea of moving to the state of Arizona.

"Arizona? Why would I move to Arizona?" Reed asked in the show. "It's nothing but a furnace full of drunk Indians!"

The insensitive comment sparked reactions from Native American groups including members of the Navajo Nation who demanded that the executives of the show apologize for the remark.

Erny Zah, a spokesperson for the Navajo Nation, was quoted by The Huffington Post about the lowbrow jab at alcoholism in the Native American community.

"You can see somebody who is drunk and tripping over themselves and it's easy to make fun of them," said Zah. "Ignorance is one thing, but this must have passed through a lot of eyes before it appeared on a network show."

Both Warner Bros. and CBS have reportedly not commented on the issue and have not been in contact with representatives of any Native American tribes in Arizona.

Zah told ABC News that while an apology would be appropriate, he noted, "it can't fix the damage done."

The Navajo Nation has territories that extend from Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

The Native American Journalists Association released a statement condemning the line as a "blatant disregard for the original inhabitants of this land" and that the show helped to perpetuate negative stereotypes.

The CBS sitcom Mike and Molly debuted in September 2010 about a couple, Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy, who met and fell in love at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting. 

 

Tags: mike and molly indian joke Melissa McCarthy