“Lara calls Gregg ‘Mary’ all the time. She’s been doing it for years but now everyone is a little more sensitive,” a rat spilled to National Enquirer. “Gregg considers it a term of endearment, but others consider it a homophobic slur that has no place in the work environment.
“Shame on Lara and shame on GMA for allowing this to continue!”
RadarOnline.com has reached out to Spencer’s rep for comment.
This isn’t the first time that the 54-year-old television veteran has been urged to walk back comments about the opposite sex.
In 2019, Spencer was forced to apologize after mocking Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s oldest child over his love of ballet.
“Young Prince George, just six years old, heading back to school like so many kids around the world but unlike other kids his age, it sounds like the third in line to the throne is in for quite a demanding year,” Spencer said on air. “In addition to the usual first or second grade things, like math, science and history, the future King of England will be putting down the Play-Doh to take on religious studies, computer programming, poetry and ballet, among other thing.”
She paused after uttering the word “ballet” and her costars, including George Stephanopoulos, were heard laughing in the background.
Spencer continued her on-air mock session when a photo of the young prince laughing appeared on the screen.
“He looks so happy about the ballet class. Prince William says George absolutely loves ballet. I have news for you, Prince William: We’ll see how long that lasts,” she quipped.
At the time, the now Duke of Wales disclosed that his son was “doing dancing” as an extracurricular and “loves it.”
GMA was also targeted over the remark. The backlash sparked an apology from Spencer, who took to her Instagram Stories to backtrack on her comment.
“My deepest apologies for an insensitive comment I made during pop news on Thursday,” she posted. “From ballet, which I took as a kid, to anything in life you wish to explore, I fully believe we should all pursue our passion. Go climb your mountain — and love every minute of it.”