Late-night TV host says ‘I would like to sincerely apologize to Ivanka Trump and to my viewers’ for her expletive-filled tirade
Samantha Bee apologised on Thursday for an “inappropriate and inexcusable” remark about Ivanka Trump on Wednesday night. On her TBS show, the late-night host savaged the president’s daughter for her role in her father’s immigration policy – but Bee’s expletive-filled comment drew condemnation, particularly among conservatives, and a rebuke from the White House.
In her apology, Bee said: “I would like to sincerely apologize to Ivanka Trump and to my viewers. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it.”
Trevor Noah on Roseanne: 'You know who I blame for this? Donald Trump' Read more
Samantha Bee: ‘We’ve had awful immigration practices since always’
Bee began her show by saying: “We are going to talk about racism: I just popped an Ambien, so buckle up, everyone.”
Bee showed a news segment about migrant children being taken into government custody at the border, and the Department of Justice’s plan to prosecute 100% of people crossing the border illegally, including asylum seekers and undocumented workers.
Bee said: “Tearing children away from their parents is so evil, it’s the inciting incident in almost every movie we’ve ever cared about. According to haunted marionette Jeff Sessions, these babies are actually baby criminals.”
In a clip Bee played, Sessions, the attorney general, said: “If you don’t want your child to be separated, then don’t bring them across the border illegally. It’s not our fault.”
Play Video 0:44 Samantha Bee's comments about Ivanka Trump – video
Bee continued: “Don’t worry. The Trump administration has a really good explanation for why they’re treating migrants like animals. It was all Obama’s idea!” She then showed pundits claiming that it was the Obama administration that instituted the policy of separating migrant children from their parents.
Bee replied: “They’re half right. We have had awful immigration practices since, well, always, even under presidents we like seeing shirtless. A recent report from the ACLU describes hundreds of abuses of migrant children while in custody of the US government during the Obama administration. And just last week, this image circulated of children being kept in an Arizona holding facility in 2014.”
Bee said: “No, Donald Trump didn’t invent this issue – he’s just making it so much worse. Now everyone who even approaches the border is treated like a criminal.
She continued: “So now, after decades of ignoring the issue, Americans are finally paying attention. Well, most of us. Ivanka Trump, who works at the White House, chose to post the second most oblivious tweet we’ve seen this week.”
The language used by Samantha Bee is vile and vicious. Her disgusting comments and show are not fit for broadcast Sarah Sanders
Bee, showing a photo Trump posted of her and her son, addressed the president’s daughter directly: “You know, Ivanka, that’s a beautiful photo of you and your child, but let me just say, one mother to another, do something about your dad’s immigration practices, you feckless cunt.”
Bee added: “He listens to you. Put on something tight and low-cut and tell your father to fucking stop it.”
On Thursday morning, many conservative media figures denounced her language and asked that the host be held to the same standard as Roseanne Barr, whose sitcom was canceled by ABC after a racist tweet that compared Valerie Jarrett to an ape.
“The language used by Samantha Bee last night is vile and vicious,” said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders in a statement. “The collective silence by the left and its media allies is appalling.”
Sanders added: “Her disgusting comments and show are not fit for broadcast, and executives at Time Warner and TBS must demonstrate that such explicit profanity about female members of this administration will not be condoned on its network.”
NBC’s Megyn Kelly, once a primetime anchor at Fox News, compared Bee’s comments to Barr’s. “This is disgusting. How is this acceptable?” Kelly tweeted. “And how are we expected to take any of these publications seriously if they gleefully repost something like this at the same time they (rightfully) condemn Roseanne? You know the saying Love is Love? Well Hate is Hate.”
Early Thursday afternoon Bee, 48, in a statement issued by TBS, which airs Full Frontal, said: “I would like to sincerely apologize to Ivanka Trump and to my viewers for using an expletive on my show to describe her last night. It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it.”
TBS issued its own statement. “Samantha Bee has taken the right action in apologizing for the vile and inappropriate language she used about Ivanka Trump last night,” the network said. “Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it.”
Trevor Noah: ‘Reboot Family Matters with a super-woke Steve Urkel’
Meanwhile, Comedy Central’s Trevor Noah discussed the cancellation of Roseanne Barr’s sitcom.
Noah said: “By now, we all know that Roseanne was fired for tweeting that former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett was the birth child of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Planet of the Apes. Many people applauded ABC for reacting swiftly and cancelling Roseanne. Personally, I think ABC could do more. I think they could go one step further and reboot Family Matters with a super-woke Steve Urkel.”
He went on: “Roseanne getting fired wasn’t a shock because, let’s be honest, comparing a black person to an ape is what I like to all ‘shit-your-pants’ racism. Even the anti-PC brigade agreed Roseanne had gone too far.”
The host then showed coverage of Roseanne’s remarks on Fox News, where she was condemned by Sean Hannity, Jesse Watters and the hosts of Fox & Friends.
The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) "Comparing a black person to an ape is what I call 'shit-your-pants racism.' Everyone can smell it, everyone can see it, and nobody wants to help you clean it up."
Trevor on Roseanne’s racist tweets: https://t.co/y7QeTGyOQ1 pic.twitter.com/3N6HXIpr9j
Noah said: “After this, Roseanne apologized on Twitter and said the reason she tweeted those racist things was because she was on Ambien and it was Memorial Day. In Roseanne’s defense, tweeting stuff that is racist while you’re on Ambien I do understand, because if you listen carefully to their ads there is a subtle warning about just this thing.”
Ivanka Trump photo with son sparks backlash over border separations Read more
The host then showed a mock advertisement for Ambien, “for a good night’s sleep and potential racism”.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Samantha Bee (left) used a highly offensive slur for Ivanka Trump
Comedian Samantha Bee has apologised after insulting Ivanka Trump with an obscene phrase on her television show.
Bee was lambasting the White House adviser and US first daughter over the immigration policy of her father President Donald Trump.
Conservatives demanded Bee be fired like Roseanne Barr, whose sitcom was cancelled this week after she posted a racist tweet.
Bee acknowledged on Thursday she had "crossed a line" with her language.
What did Bee say?
On her political commentary show Full Frontal, Bee attacked the president's daughter over a long-standing US policy of separating undocumented immigrant children from their families.
Presenting Obama-era photos of such young people sleeping in cages, Bee said: "Tearing children away from their parents is so evil, it's the inciting incident in almost every movie we've ever cared about."
She said Ms Trump had been "oblivious" recently to post an Instagram photo of herself hugging her child.
"You know, Ivanka, that's a beautiful photo of you and your child, but let me just say, one mother to another, do something about your dad's immigration practices," Bee said.
She then called Ms Trump a "feckless [expletive]". The term she used is widely viewed as the most offensive epithet to call a woman.
Bee urged the first daughter to confront her father about the policy.
"He listens to you," she said. "Put on something tight and low-cut and tell your father to [expletive] stop it. Tell him it was an Obama thing and see how it goes, OK?"
Skip Twitter post by @iamsambee I would like to sincerely apologize to Ivanka Trump and to my viewers for using an expletive on my show to describe her last night. It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it. — Samantha Bee (@iamsambee) May 31, 2018 Report
The immigration issue has risen to the fore recently since it was reported that US authorities had been unable to contact almost 1,500 unaccompanied children placed in the care of sponsors.
The Trump administration has also been criticised for its policy of separating children from parents who cross the US-Mexico border illegally.
The hashtag #Wherearethechildren has been used hundreds of thousands of times on Twitter.
What's the fallout?
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders called Bee's language "vile and vicious".
"Her disgusting comments and show are not fit for broadcast," she added, demanding the cable network apologise.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption White House defends Trump's reaction to Roseanne firing
TBS, which airs Full Frontal, duly obliged by agreeing that Bee's language was "vile and inappropriate".
"Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it," said the network's statement.
Shortly beforehand, car retail website Autotrader.com announced it was pulling its ads from the show.
Skip Twitter post by @AutoTrader_com Thank you to those who reached out regarding our sponsorship of Full Frontal. The comments expressed by Samantha Bee were offensive and unacceptable and do not reflect the views of our company. As a result, we have suspended our sponsorship of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. — Autotrader (@AutoTrader_com) May 31, 2018 Report
Bee's outburst comes amid a public debate over incendiary language by TV personalities.
ABC cancelled the sitcom Roseanne this week after its star likened an African-American former aide to President Barack Obama to an ape.
The chief executive of Disney, which owns ABC, said sorry to the ex-adviser, Valerie Jarrett.
That has led President Trump to demand an apology for all the "horrible" things said about him by the entertainment conglomerate's TV personalities.
Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump Iger, where is my call of apology? You and ABC have offended millions of people, and they demand a response. How is Brian Ross doing? He tanked the market with an ABC lie, yet no apology. Double Standard! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2018 Report
First Lady Melania Trump has said "the double standard is truly astounding", conservative news organisation the Daily Caller reported.
Barr also weighed in on the situation on Twitter.
