Samantha Bee Further Addresses Ivanka Trump Controversy

"We spent the day wrestling with the repercussions of one bad word," she said

By Zach Johnson Jun 01, 2018 12:55 PMTags
Samantha BeeDan Steinberg/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock

To quote Justin Bieber, "Is it too late now to say sorry?"

Full Frontal host Samantha Bee apologized on Twitter Thursday afternoon for calling First Daughter Ivanka Trump a "c--t" in an episode of her late-night program. In a case of poor timing, Bee was being awarded at the Television Academy Honors that night, but due to the backlash, press was uninvited to the event and Bee's Full Frontal team skipped the red carpet. Bee was being recognized for Full Frontal's #MeToo coverage, but she also addressed the elephant in the room during her time onstage; IndieWire was given a transcript of her speech.

"You know, the thing is our show is steeped in passion. Every week I strive to show the world as I see it, unfiltered. Sometimes I should probably have a filter. I accept that," Bee told the audience. "I take it seriously when I get it right and I do take responsibility when I get it wrong."

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Ivanka Trump's Best Looks
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"Stories about 1,500 missing unaccompanied migrant children flooded the news cycle over the weekend. So last night we aired a segment on the atrocious treatment of migrant children by this administration and past administrations. Sometimes even the ones who look best in swim trunks do bad jobs with things. Our piece attracted controversy of the worst kind. We spent the day wrestling with the repercussions of one bad word, when we all should have spent the day incensed that as a nation we are wrenching children from their parents and treating people legally seeking asylum as criminals," she said. "If we are OK with that, then really, who are we?"

Bee promised to keep "shouting" about "the inhumanities of this world from the rooftops," adding that her show will strive "to make it a better place." (It will be done in "a comedy way.")

According to IndieWire, Bee drew the biggest applause and laughter when she told the crowd, "There is power in saying what you feel without apology...OK, and sometimes you also have to apologize." She also thanked Turner Broadcasting for supporting her program, despite TBS issuing an apology for airing her comments about Trump and removing the clip from YouTube.