This week on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, the acerbic host had some choice words to make about the timing of a Twitter post by , in which she posed in a photo with her child. The White House Advisor posted the image just as news was breaking of the Trump Administration's policy of separating the children of undocumented migrants from their parents. In a strongly worded criticism of the US Presidents daughter, Bee highlighted Ivanka's wilful ignorance of the sitting President's policies while posting Hallmark card-style sentimental posts to social media.
"Let me just say, one mother to another, do something about your dad's immigration practices, you feckless c*nt. He listens to you," Bee exclaimed on the show.
The comments quickly galvanised Trump's supporter base who immediately demanded that Bee be fired from her show by TBS, the network that broadcasts her show in the US (the program screens on SBS VICELAND in Australia). The episode aired just days after the US ABC network fired Roseanne following her own publication of a racist tweet. Trump supporters were quick to conflate the two issues, and call for similar reprisals.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders echoed the sentiment that Bee be reprimanded by TBS, the implication being that she too should be fired for comments made: “Her disgusting comments and show are not fit for broadcast, and executives at and TBS must demonstrate that such explicit profanity about female members of this administration will not be condoned on its network.”
The comparison to Roseanne's comments has been drawn by a number of commentators, comparing racist hate speech to Bee's name calling.
Samantha Bee has subsequently apologised for the offending word.
The TBS network also issued an apology, but is standing by its star: “Samantha Bee has taken the right action in apologising for the vile and inappropriate language she used about Ivanka Trump last night,” TBS said in a statement. “Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it.”
Bee supporters have rallied against the White House's call for her show to be axed:
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee airs Thursday nights on SBS VICELAND at 8:30pm, with episodes also streaming at SBS On Demand.
