Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and his brother Doug didn't mince words on their weekly radio show on Sunday, going on the offensive and accusing the media of unethical journalism after a week that saw the embattled brothers each deny separate drug-related allegations.

The mayor called reporters a "bunch of maggots," describing them as relentless and telling listeners "no matter what you say… you’re never going to make them happy."

His brother, Councillor Doug Ford added that only "80 per cent of them are nasty son of a guns."

Sunday’s broadcast was the first time the Fords have publicly addressed the drug allegations together, as the brothers returned to co-hosting "The City" on Toronto AM radio station Newstalk 1010.

Rob Ford didn't host the show last weekend, after reports of an alleged video showing him smoking from a glass pipe were first published, but his brother said he simply took the long weekend off.

Ford did not stay for the entirety of Sunday's scheduled two-hour program, as he was attending his daughter's communion later in the afternoon.

"Family comes first," he said before leaving his brother Doug to close the show.

The mayor said he was undeterred by the recent onslaught of scathing media attention, and vowed to seek re-election next year.

"I’ll be the first putting my name on that ballot," he said. "It’s unfortunate that you get put in this situation, but we’re moving forward."

Both brothers spent the majority of the first half of the program listing their accomplishments at city hall, including ending the vehicle registration tax.

"We could talk about our accomplishments for another two hours, no joke," Doug said.

Other comments the Fords made on air Sunday include:

  • Doug said he wasn’t the type of person who starts fights but when "someone comes up and punches you in the head 15 times," he isn’t afraid to swing back. "They want to come after us, I’m coming after them."
  • Doug credited his brother Rob for having "thick skin" in the face of what he described as the recent onslaught of unfair media coverage. Journalism has "sunk to an all-time low," he said.
  • Ford thanked his former chief of staff for service and dedication to the city. "I’m not getting into personnel issues," the mayor said, "but I want to thank Mark Towhey." Last week, there were reports Ford fired Towhey after a confrontation about the drug allegations.
  • Ford said he was not told in person that he was no longer coaching football. "I’ve heard from the media that I’m not coaching Don Bosco anymore," he said. Earlier this week, the Catholic school board dismissed the mayor as the team’s coach. “As of now I don’t have a job.”
  • Doug told his listeners that the Globe and Mail's report that he once dealt hashish was "completely" false. "I was not a dealer of hashish in the 1980s," he said. "I don’t believe in uppers, downers, all-a-rounders."
  • The Toronto councillor also talked about how the recent allegations has hurt his family. "No one understands how painful it is… when you get your family involved."

On Friday, Rob Ford broke his silence to say he does not use crack cocaine.

"I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine," the mayor told reporters at city hall.

For more than a week, the mayor avoided addressing published reports that alleged he was seen smoking from a glass pipe in a cellphone video.

In his comments on the subject Friday, the mayor said he kept silent on advice from his solicitor to "not say a word."

Reports of the alleged video first surfaced on U.S. website Gawker, and later in the Toronto Star.

Both media outlets said they had viewed a video that appears to show the mayor smoking crack cocaine.

The existence and content of the video has not been verified by CTV News.