The Fox News contributor was just suspended for two weeks for using profanity on the air
On Monday, Fox News suspended contributor Stacey Dash for two weeks after she used profanity in her on-air comments about President Barack Obama's recent address to the nation.
"Consequences," she tweeted, after news broke of her suspension. "Some of us have to pay them. Gladly."
But Dash, 48, an actress and commentator, has long been known to spark controversy with her statements, whether on Fox or on Twitter.
Dash's New Jersey connection is that she graduated from Paramus High School in 1985. A Bronx native, Dash is best known for her starring role as Dionne in the hit 1995 movie "Clueless," opposite Alicia Silverstone and fellow New Jerseyan Brittany Murphy, who grew up in Edison. Dash went on to co-star in a TV series based on the film. In 2011, she starred in the first season of the VH1 series "Single Ladies." In 2014, she joined Fox News as a commentator.
The actress is cousin to music mogul Damon Dash, who, alongside Jay Z, founded Roc-A-Fella Records, but Dash has reportedly been distanced from family members, including Damon, for her political views. In 2012, she faced backlash when she endorsed Mitt Romney for president.
Here's a look at some other occasions on which Dash became the subject of controversy:
Dash criticizes Beyonce and Jay Z's trip to Cuba
When Jay Z and Beyonce traveled to Cuba in 2013, before the United States restored diplomatic relations with the country, Dash became a trending topic for this tweet:
Do you care that The Jay Z"s have taken the capital you have given them and funded a communist oppressive regime?
-- Stacey Dash (@REALStaceyDash) April 9, 2013
Jay Z then released the song "Open Letter," which contained the lyrics "I'm in Cuba, I love Cubans/This communist talk is so confusing."
Dash calls would-be sexual assault victims 'naughty' and 'bad girls'
At the beginning of the year, when national chapters of sororities at the University of Virginia banned members from attending "bid night" frat parties, Dash, appearing on Fox News, said approved the measure, saying "the good girls" would do well to stay home. "The other bad girls -- bad women -- the ones who like to be naughty, might go out and play and get hurt, and then, you know ..." she continued. This came on the heels of the UVA Rolling Stone story controversy, which had centered on an alleged gang rape at a frat party. Tweets slammed Dash for her remarks.
She later apologized.
"LET ME BE CLEAR," Dash posted on her Facebook page, "I am a victim of physical and sexual abuse. My point was that there IS NO EXCUSE for a man taking advantage of women under any circumstances. I believe that these universities focusing on alcohol consumption as a means to stop evil behavior takes the focus off the real issue of the objectification of women and how that can be prevented. I apologize to anyone who believed I was blaming the victims of these horrible acts."
Dash suggests Kanye West ... should get raped
Dash had starred in Kanye West's 2004 music video for the song "All Falls Down." But in 2014, after West likened the intrusion of the paparazzi to "rape," Dash rejected the comparison in a Fox News segment. "Maybe he needs to spend some time on Rikers Island, you know, go to Rikers for a little while, and then he'll know what rape is," she said. "I don't get celebrities not understanding that the paparazzi are doing their job."
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup. Find NJ.com Entertainment on Facebook.
