The Television Academy, famed for its Emmy Awards, is still set to award foul-mouthed late-night host Samantha Bee with a major honor despite being roundly criticized and forced to apologize for calling White House advisor Ivanka Trump a “feckless cunt.”
According to the announcement on Emmys.com, Bee is being hailed for the “inspirational” content on her TBS comedy show, Full Frontal With Samantha Bee.
“For its dedication to making the audience laugh while making it think, the Television Academy is proud to include Full Frontal with Samantha Bee in the Television Academy Honors,” the award announcement reads.
The Academy goes on to praise Bee for helping lift the “wool-covered glasses” from viewers’ eyes to “expose a clearer vision of what is really going on in the world.”
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee’ doesn’t just serve to inform and amuse. What Toronto native Bee and her team are doing is far more important and complex than just delivering the news or just writing a funny joke about a politician,” the group says with its effusive praise of Bee and her show.
Bee is apparently still set to receive the award on Thursday night during the Academy’s gala at NeueHouse in Hollywood.
On May 31, @FullFrontalSamB will be recognized for advancing social change by @TelevisionAcad at its #TVAcadHonors celebration. 👏👏👏https://t.co/2vCmlQ7wFl pic.twitter.com/YtQesf3uak
— TBS Network (@TBSNetwork) May 30, 2018
Controversy erupted around the Canadian-born TV show host’s Wednesday show after she called Ivanka Trump a “feckless cunt” and hinted that she engage in an incestuous sexual relationship with her father, President Donald Trump, in order to get a liberal political policy put into action.
By Thursday, Bee had apologized for her comment with a tweet saying, “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 said in a statement. “It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it.”
But the fallout continued despite Bee’s “apology” when one of her sponsors dropped its advertising during her show. On Thursday, Autotrader announced that it was cancelling its support of Bee’s broadcasts.
Thank you to those who reached out regarding our sponsorship of Full Frontal. 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.
— Autotrader (@AutoTrader_com) May 31, 2018
Autotrader was soon followed by another sponsor when State Farm Insurance similarly abandoned Full Frontal.
Thus far, the Television Academy has not released a statement about its intended honoree.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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