Conservative talk show host Amy Jacobson resigned as Amundsen High School’s volleyball coach Wednesday amid backlash after she mocked Gus Walz, the son of Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, on her radio show last week.
Amundsen Principal Kristi Eilers notified parents in a letter stating, “Effective immediately, Coach Amy Jacobson is no longer part of the athletic program at Amundsen.”
Jacobson is seen on a livestream laughing, and along with co-host Dan Proft, mimicking Gus Walz during their Aug. 22 radio show “Chicago’s Morning Answer” on WIND 560-AM.
Jacobson could not be reached for comment.
Gus Walz, 17, suffers from a non-verbal learning disorder, an anxiety disorder and ADHD, his parents revealed in a recent interview with People magazine.
As Tim Walz addressed his family during his speech at the Democratic National Convention last week at the United Center, Gus could be seen standing with tears streaming down his face, pointing to his father and exclaiming, “That’s my dad!”
The next day on their radio show, Proft compared Gus Walz to Chris Farley’s impersonation of Andrew Giuliani in a 1994 “Saturday Night Live” sketch.
“What’s the deal with his kid? Can somebody get Gus Walz some Ritalin?” Proft said, referring to a drug used to treat ADHD.
“Well, he’s excited,” Jacobson said. “That’s my dad! That’s my dad! And he was crying too. That’s my dad! Not your dad, that’s my dad!”
The livestream of the Aug. 22 “Chicago’s Morning Answer” show has since been removed from the station’s YouTube channel.
Chicago Public Schools said Wednesday that it has “accepted the resignation of Amundsen Volleyball Coach Amy Jacobson.”
“As a system, we are committed to serving all students and we strive to ensure a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment, free of any bias, discrimination or harassment,” CPS said in a statement. “We strongly disagree with any remarks contrary to those values.”
Jacobson and Proft apologized during their show the following day, saying they did not know that Gus suffered from a learning disorder or ADHD.
“I want to apologize too because I would have reacted differently if I had the additional information,” Jacobson said during the Aug. 23 radio show. “I had no idea that he had any type of learning disability or ADHD, and I thought I was well-read on the matter, and apparently I was not.”
Proft noted that he’s “not a guy who would make fun of somebody with a learning disability or some sort of developmental condition.”
“It was not intentional, but I should have probably investigated it and known to exercise restraint there and I didn’t, so I apologize,” Proft said.
Proft also was apparently ousted as a board member for Envision Unlimited, an organization that advocates for people with disabilities. His name no longer appears on the organization’s list of board members.
Envision Unlimited issued a statement Sunday that didn’t name Proft, but said that it had removed a board member who “made comments that were wholly inconsistent with our values and code of ethics as an organization and at their core insensitive to the very people and families that we serve.”
The Chicago Tribune first reported that Amundsen parents were calling on Jacobson to be fired after they criticized her remarks and reaction to Proft’s on-air comments.
Amundsen High School has appointed physical education teacher Raquel Acosta as interim varsity girls volleyball coach.
“We are actively conducting a thorough search for a new head coach who will uphold the high standards of our program and support the continued development of our athletes,” Eilers, the school’s principal, said in her letter to parents.
“We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this transition. Please be assured that our focus remains maintaining the integrity of our program and providing a positive experience for all of our student athletes,” Eilers said.
Jacobson served as the Lincoln Square school’s girls and boys varsity volleyball coach for the last three years, according to her biography on the school’s website, which has been removed.
The Amundsen High School girls varsity volleyball season started Monday. The boys varsity volleyball season starts in the spring.
Jacobson previously worked as a reporter for WMAQ-TV NBC 5. She was fired from that job in 2007 after a WBBM-TV CBS 2 news crew secretly filmed her clad in a bikini with her two children at the home of a man whose wife had been missing for more than two months.