One week after sparking a backlash for calling Ivanka Trump a "feckless cunt," Samantha Bee responded to the controversy in the opening of her show Full Frontal Wednesday night.
Sam addresses the controversy from last week's show.
Bee has been in the headlines since last week, when she called President Donald Trump's daughter — and senior adviser — a "feckless cunt" for not voicing opposition to her father's immigration policies.
Both she and TBS issued apologies the following day, but that hasn't stopped Trump and other administration officials from calling for Bee's firing.
It didn't help that Bee's remarks came just a day after ABC canceled Roseanne Barr's show over the actor's racist tweets about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. With Bee still on air, Trump's supporters seized on the contrast between the networks' handling of the two performers as evidence of liberal bias.
Returning to the air for the first time since the controversy, Bee began Wednesday's show by addressing the backlash, apologizing for her language, but also said she was upset that it distracted from more important issues.
“A lot of people were offended and angry that I used an epithet to describe the president's daughter and adviser last week. It is a word I have used on the show many times, hoping to reclaim it," Bee said. "This time I used it as an insult. I crossed the line, I regret it, and I do apologize for that."
"The problem is that many women have heard that word at the worst moments of their lives. A lot of women don’t want that word reclaimed; they want it gone, and I don’t blame them. I don't want to inflict more pain on them," she continued. "I want this show to be honest, and I never intended it to hurt anyone, except Ted Cruz."
But mostly, Bee said, she regretted that the insult drew attention away from the immigration issue that had been the focus of her segment last week.
"I should have known that a potty-mouthed insult would be inherently more interesting to them than juvenile immigration policy," she said.
"I’m really sorry that I said that word, but you know what? Civility is just nice words," she added. "Maybe we should all worry a little bit more about the niceness of our actions. OK, thanks for listening.”
Many found the apology defiant.
Tonight’s @FullFrontalSamB opens with apology that concludes: “I’m really sorry that I said that word. But you know what? Civility is just nice words. Maybe we should all worry a little bit more about the niceness of our actions.” https://t.co/EnfGYyeqB4
Samantha Bee's 50% apology, 50% go-fuck-yourself was dead on.
Some people applauded the way Bee addressed the backlash.
Much respect to @iamsambee & @FullFrontalSamB for taking ownership & issuing a sincere apology tonight. We all do things we later regret, but it's what we do afterwards that matters. Samantha Bee just set an example to follow, and I'm proud to stand behind her 100%.
Watching @FullFrontalSamB & the first segment about 11k separated Immigrant Children was the exact reason why I watch @iamsambee every week. This issue should be so well covered by Network News. Keep up the good work. #SamanthaBee #FamiliesBelongTogether #WhereAreTheChildren
@FullFrontalSamB You did this right. May have offended people and were sorry for that. Also kept true to your beliefs. A master class on being sorry but not sorry. #SamanthaBee
Others liked that she called out Ted Cruz.
. @iamsambee starts her show with an apology...but it was narrow....she said the following people don't deserve an apology.. 1. Ted Cruz and All Men She concluded with: "Civility is just nice words. Maybe we should all worry a little bit more about the niceness of our actions” https://t.co/SR8DuKxNJB
Other people were less impressed.
@iamsambee Your apology was less than satisfactory. It was all about you wringing a few laughs. #overyou #samanthabee @tbs #tbs #firesamanthabee #BlameCanada
Samantha Bee is a terrible person.
And some called for advertisers to still boycott her show.
Pretty weak apology from Samantha Bee. Keep up the Boycott on her advertisers.