President Barack Obama's use of the N-word when discussing the Charleston church massacre has sparked a firestorm of debate.

During an interview for the podcast "WTF with Marc Maron," Obama spoke candidly about racism in wake of the racially charged shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church last Wednesday. The incident occurred when a 21-year-old white man named Dylann Roof opened fire while churchgoers were praying and killed nine people at the historic African American church.

"Racism, we are not cured of it. And it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say n****r in public," Obama told comedian Marc Maron while speaking on the matter, according to The Huffington Post.

"That's not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It's not just a matter of overt discrimination. Societies don't, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior," he said.

After the podcast was released on Monday, some media outlets expressed shock over Obama's comment while others were offended that the president used the racial slur.

For instance, CNN called the remark a "jarring comment" in a news article, while commentators on Fox News debated over whether the statement "was beneath the dignity of his office."

Later in the day, CNN host Don Lemon spoke out, saying it "was about time he said it" in order to discuss honestly and accurately discuss race relations, reports Mediaite.

Other people took to Twitter to either applaud or criticize Obama for using the N-word.

"President Obama drops the N-word during an interview. You, sir, have disgraced the office of the presidency," tweeted Fox News host Todd Starnes.

Starnes then compared the nation's first African American president to a rapper, tweeting: "Good Grief. He's the President of the United States, not a hip hop artist!"

Other people pointed out that the media was more upset over Obama's candid discussion on race than the issue of racism, itself.

"Obama: talk about racism have to be about more than whether people use the n-word. Reaction: let's all talk about Obama saying the n-word," tweeted Andy Sayers.

Likewise, Jasmine Reynoso tweeted: "the people that are outraged over obama saying the 'n' word are the same people that are quick to forget the presidents that owned slaves."