Kristi Capel
Kristi Capel (R) and her Fox 8 co hosts. Twitter

A Fox 8 news anchor has issued a public apology after she being slammed for using a racist slur to describe Lady Gaga's music.

Kristi Capel provoked fierce backlash after she used the word "jibaboo" during an on air segment about the pop star's Sound of Music tribute at the Oscars.

"It's really hard to hear her voice with all that 'jigaboo' music, whatever you want to call it ... 'jigaboo'," Capel said.

"She has a gorgeous voice. I never knew."

Capel continued her conversation with co-anchor Wayne Dawson blissfully unaware that her way of communicating her views could be considered offensive.

Jigaboo is a derogatory term, historically used to refer to black people, or people with a darker skin tone.

Although Dawson's expression may suggest that he noticed his colleague's gaffe, he chose not to address.

However, viewers were not so forgiving, some even calling for her to be fired.

In the wake of the backlash, Capel jumped on social media to apologise for the remark and also expressed her remorse to several of her Twitter followers.

It would not be the first time an on-air slur has gotten an anchor in hot water.

In 2013, NBC's AJ Clemente was captured muttering a homophobic slur into his microphone as he joined co-host Van Tieu to present the North Dakota News.

In the 30-second clip, posted on shock media site Liveleak.com, he can be heard saying "Gay f**king sh*t", before Tieu introduces him to viewers ahead of the evening report.