This morning, President Donald Trump tweeted his consternation over the fact that the host of the TBS late night show Full Frontal with Samantha Bee had not been fired for calling his daughter Ivanka a “feckless c*nt.”
“Why aren’t they firing no talent Samantha Bee for the horrible language used on her low ratings show?” Trump tweeted. “A total double standard but that’s O.K., we are Winning, and will be doing so for a long time to come!”
Why aren’t they firing no talent Samantha Bee for the horrible language used on her low ratings show? A total double standard but that’s O.K., we are Winning, and will be doing so for a long time to come!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 1, 2018
The “total double standard” in which Trump refers to is ABC canceling the revival of the sitcom Roseanne after Roseanne Barr made both a racist and Islamophobic comment about former President Barack Obama advisor, Valerie Jarrett, earlier this week.
Though Bee offered an apology, admitting she crossed a line, Trump and his supporters are still out for blood. However, what these individuals fail to realize is that, even though Bee’s comment was mean-spirited, producers, network executives, lawyers, and censors all signed off on what she said. That means TBS was on-board with the choice to call Ivanka a “c*nt.”
In the case of Barr, she used her own personal platform to tweet an opinion that was not approved by the network that airs her show. Bee had the approval she needed, whereas Barr was running at the mouth without considering the consequences.
While many have stepped in to defend Bee, one of the most outspoken supporters as been Kathy Griffin, who came under fire for photos of her holding a bloody, decapitated head that resembled Trump.
“Nope. You’re not gonna do to @iamsambee what you tried to do to me,” Griffin tweeted earlier today. “This isn’t just Trump expressing his opinion, he’s using his platform as president to order his followers to go after Sam. And he’s keeping the story active.”
The comedian didn’t stop there.
“. @iamsambee is facing some crazy sh*t right now…not only in her mentions but in letters she’s getting, pressure from network. If you support @iamsambee or just hate that the White House is using its platform to attack a comic, tweet a message of support and include @TBSNetwork.”
Nope. You’re not gonna do to @iamsambee what you tried to do to me. This isn’t just Trump expressing his opinion, he’s using his platform as president to order his followers to go after Sam. And he’s keeping the story active. https://t.co/U9GLtFpkwq https://t.co/jGqVrP65FL
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) June 1, 2018
. @iamsambee is facing some crazy sh*t right now…not only in her mentions but in letters she's getting, pressure from network
If you support @iamsambee or just hate that the White House is using its platform to attack a comic, tweet a message of support and include @TBSNetwork https://t.co/rhN243bRgd
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) June 1, 2018
While part of Griffin’s comments seems self-serving, reminding people that her career was torpedoed for criticizing the president, the comedian makes a valid point. The president is instigating hatred towards Bee for stating an opinion, something she is entitled to do on her own late night show. Rather than attacking Bee, doesn’t Trump have better things to do with his time; for instance, leading the nation? While it’s not unreasonable for the president to be concerned with his public image, Trump’s obsession with how the media portrays him and his family borders on disabling, making it impossible for him to fulfill his obligations as the commander and chief.
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee airs on Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. EST on TBS.