Donald Trump is calling for Samantha Bee’s firing after the late-night host referred to the president’s daughter Ivanka as a “feckless c–t” in her Wednesday night monologue.
“Why aren’t they firing no talent Samantha Bee for the horrible language used on her low ratings show?” Trump tweeted Friday morning. “A total double standard but that’s O.K., we are Winning, and will be doing so for a long time to come!”
But many critics on Twitter pointed out that despite the president using vulgar language about women and others in the past, he hasn’t faced consequences and still holds the highest office in the land.
“Why aren’t they firing you? That’s the real double standard,” one tweeter wrote.
“I call for the firing of the president of the US for calling mothers of NFL players female dogs,” said another critic, referring to the president’s comments calling NFL players “sons of bitches” for failing to stand during the playing of the national anthem at games.
Several others pointed out that Trump supporters have often worn T-shirts labeling his 2016 rival Hillary Clinton a “bitch” and a “c–t,” and that Trump personally welcomed musician Ted Nugent to the White House, despite the fact that he publicly called Clinton a “c–t.”
And some noted Trump’s predatory comments about women on his leaked Access Hollywood tape from 2005, in which he said he “moved on [a woman] like a bitch” and bragged that he could grab women “by the p—y.”
“Hey- why is it okay for you to move on someone ‘like a bitch’ and ‘grab her by the p—y?’ ” one critic asked. “Or is that not considered inappropriate language to you? Hmm. Yeah it definitely seems like a double standard.”
And over and over again came the call for Trump to be fired.
In mentioning a “double standard” in his tweet, the president appeared to be referring to ABC’s Tuesday cancellation of the Roseanne revival after the show’s star, Roseanne Barr, sent out a racist tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.
While the president seemingly had no problem denouncing Bee on Friday, he did not condemn Barr for her comment referring to Jarrett, who is black, as an “ape.” Instead, he attacked Disney chief Bob Iger for apologizing to Jarrett and insisted that “President Donald J. Trump” was the one owed an apology.
On Thursday, Bee apologized for using the C-word in a statement through TBS, which airs her show Full Frontal.
“I would like to sincerely apologize to Ivanka Trump and my viewers for using an expletive on my show to describe her last night. It was inappropriate and inexcusable,” Bee said. “I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it.”
The comedian has faced some backlash for her comment, including from White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and NBC’s Megyn Kelly.
Sanders told The Wrap in a statement: “The language used by Samantha Bee last night is vile and vicious. The collective silence by the left and its media allies is appalling.”
“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,” Sanders added.
Kelly, like the president, drew a comparison between the the comments made by Barr and Bee, tweeting, “This is disgusting. How is this acceptable? 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 @therealroseanne?”
But many publications are arguing that Bee’s joke is not the same as Barr’s tweet — not even close.
“Samantha Bee used shocking language to heighten a joke. You might not find the joke funny, or might bristle at the use of the C-word, but that doesn’t make Bee’s specific sense of humor comparable to Barr’s sincere regurgitation of racist bile,” the Daily Beast wrote.
“Bee has been forced to go on the defensive, even though her transgression is not nearly as egregious, offensive, or cruel as what Barr did,” Vulture said. “Even worse, the biggest offender of all still sits in the Oval Office, tweeting and saying whatever he wants.”
And countless others on Twitter chimed in to agree.
The Los Angeles Times wrote, “No, Samantha Bee’s vulgarity isn’t equivalent to Roseanne Barr’s racism. Being foul-mouthed is not the same as a white person calling a black person an ape.”
Another tweeter agreed: “One female celebrity calling another female celebrity a vulgar epithet is not the same as a white person calling a black person an ape. This has been today’s episode of things that are obvious and we don’t have to pretend aren’t obvious.”
And other Twitter user argued that “If Rosanne had called Valerie Jarret a feckless c-word, she’d still have a job. As it turns out, she compared Jarret to an ape. It’s racism vs salty language. It’s not that hard to decipher.”
