GREENWOOD, Miss. (AP) — The radio host fired after he lost a groping lawsuit to superstar Taylor Swift says he is “very grateful” for a new gig at a Mississippi station.
FILE – In this Aug. 15, 2017 file photo, former radio host David Mueller, who was accused of groping singer Taylor Swift in 2013, speaks during an interview in Denver. Delta Radio CEO David Fuss tells news outlets he believes Mueller’s side of the story and hired him because he sounds good on air. Swift sued Mueller for a dollar last year, saying he grabbing her bare backside while posing for photo. Mueller, who uses the last name “Jackson” on air, denies the allegation and started co-hosting a show on Monday, Jan. 29, 2018, called “Jackson and Jonbob.”(AP Photo/Thomas Peipert, File)
David Mueller, 56, told the Greenwood Commonwealth that he had difficulty finding work in a big-city radio market. He started his job Monday in Greenwood, home to about 14,000 people in the rural Mississippi Delta.
“I never wanted to leave radio from the moment I was out on the street with no job and no income,” he said.
A federal jury determined Mueller assaulted and battered Swift by grabbing her under her skirt as they posed for a 2013 photo in Denver. Mueller, who goes by “Jackson” on air, still denies that. He began co-hosting the “Jackson and Jonbob” show Monday.
The Washington Post quotes Delta Radio CEO David Fuss saying he believes Mueller’s side of the story. Delta Radio is based in Las Vegas and owns nine radio stations.
Mueller’s hiring comes as the #MeToo movement draws attention to sexual assault and harassment.
Fuss said Mueller sounds good on air, but allowed that his decision also was “maybe a tiny bit” about publicity.
“He is a very good on-air talent,” Fuss said “It’s extremely difficult to get people to come to the Mississippi Delta to work. I felt like he needed a break or a second chance.”
The Greenwood newspaper reported that Delta Radio has received complaints from Taylor Swift fan groups from as far away as Sweden and Saudi Arabia.
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