Autotrader and State Farm have decided to suspend their advertising during Full Frontal With Samantha Bee after the host called First Daughter Ivanka Trump a “feckless c—” during Wednesday night’s episode.
Calling Trump’s photo of herself and her son, Theodore, “the second most oblivious tweet we’ve seen this week,” in reference to the news that almost 1,500 children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border are unaccounted for, Bee begged Trump to talk to her father.
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“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.”
The issue was brought to light after Trump administration stepped up criminal prosecutions of people illegally crossing the border this month, re-sparking the debate around the administration’s policy of separating immigrant children from their parents at the border.
“Put on something tight and low cut and tell your father to f—ing stop it,” Bee continued. “Tell him it was an Obama thing and see how it goes.”
The comment brought an avalanche of backlash to the comedian Thursday, which has now led to both companies to step away from the TBS series.
“Thank you to those who reached out regarding our sponsorship of Full Frontal,” Autotrader said via their official Twitter account Thursday. “The comments expressed by Samantha Bee were offensive and unacceptable and do not reflect the views of our company. As a result, we have suspended our sponsorship of ‘Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.’”
State Farm also announced they would be pulling out their partnership with the series, telling The Wrap Thursday, “We have asked TBS to suspend our advertising in the program and are reviewing any future placements. We constantly review programs to ensure alignment to our programming guidelines and brand values.”
However, not every advertiser is taking that stance after Bee’s controversial statements.
“As a national brand, our ads run on national broadcast, cable, digital, social, outdoor media, and just about everywhere in-between,” Discover said in a statement on Twitter Thursday. “Our media buys consistently change and reflect the diverse content and audiences we serve. Editorial direction and content are created by the individual program.”
Bee issued an apology Thursday afternoon via Twitter for her comments.
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
“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,” Bee tweeted. “It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it.”
TBS also issued a statement on the subject, also taking responsibility for the controversy.
Samantha Bee has taken the right action in apologizing for the vile and inappropriate language she used about Ivanka Trump last night. Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it.
— TBS Network (@TBSNetwork) May 31, 2018
“Samantha Bee has taken the right action in apologizing for the vile and inappropriate language she used about Ivanka Trump last night,” the network said in a statement. “Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it.”
