Autotrader and State Farm have pulled their ads from TBS’s Full Frontal after host Samantha Bee called Ivanka Trump a “feckless c***.”
The comedian insulted the first daughter after Trump posted a photograph of herself and her son at the end of last week. Some observers saw this as insensitive in the context of a furore over the U.S. Government’s policy of separating immigrant parents from their children at the border with Mexico.
Bee was among those drawing the connection. “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 c***! He listens to you!” She said in Wednesday’s show.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Thursday that executives at TBS and its parent company, Time Warner “must demonstrate that such explicit profanity about female members of this administration will not be condoned.”
Bee subsequently apologized, saying her insult was “inappropriate and inexcusable.” TBS stood by her, saying: “It was our mistake too, and we regret it.” The network pulled the episode offline, including from YouTube.
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
Both Autotrader and State Farm pulled their sponsorship of Full Frontal, the former seemingly indefinitely. State Farm said it “asked TBS to suspend our advertising in the program and are reviewing any future placements.”
However, the credit card firm Discover appears to have decided to maintain its ads on the show, much to the outrage of many Twitter users.
Thank you for reaching out! As a national brand, our ads run on national broadcast, cable, digital, social, outdoor media, and just about everywhere in-between. Our media buys consistently change and reflect the diverse content and audiences we serve. Editorial direction… 1/2
— Discover (@Discover) May 31, 2018
Hi Paul! The opinions shared by Samantha B are her own and don't reflect the views of Discover. *Noelle
— Discover (@Discover) June 1, 2018
Some conservative commentators said the media was displaying double standards by not pillorying Bee for her insult as much as they condemned Roseanne Barr for saying a black woman looked like an ape. Barr’s hit show, Roseanne, was immediately cancelled after that outburst.
Could you imagine the INSANITY if Chelsea, Sasha or Malia were called what Samantha Bee called Ivanka?
That person would've ended up like Roseanne with the added bonus of being burned at the stake in a public square.
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) May 31, 2018
As for Ivanka, President Donald Trump’s elder daughter emitted a series of tweets to say she was ignoring her critics. “If thou workest at what is before thee, following right reason seriously, vigorously, calmly, without allowing anything to distract thee…If thou holdest to this, expecting nothing, fearing nothing, but satisfied with thy present activity according to nature…thou wilt live happy. And there is no man who will be able to prevent this,” she tweeted, quoting Marcus Aurelius.