Samantha Bee fired back at her critics Thursday night just hours after apologizing for calling Ivanka Trump a "feckless c--t" on her TBS late-night show Wednesday.
While accepting her Television Academy Honors award, she argued Americans should be focused on more important issues than her using one bad word.
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View Story"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," Bee said. "If we are OK with that then really, who are we?"
"Stories about 1,500 missing unaccompanied migrant children flooded the news cycle over the weekend," she said. "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."
"You know, the thing is our show is steeped in passion," Bee told the audience. "Every week I strive to show the world as I see it, unfiltered. Sometimes I should probably have a filter. I accept that. I take it seriously when I get it right and I do take responsibility when I get it wrong."
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View StoryThe "Full Frontal" host was met with massive backlash this week after she aired a segment focusing on migrant children being separated from their parents at the U.S. and Mexico border. After saying this, Bee ripped Ivanka Trump for posting photo of her embracing her son.
"You know, Ivanka, that's a beautiful photo of you and your child," she said, "But let me just say, one mother to another: do something about your dad's immigration practices, you feckless c--t."
Those offended by the use of the c-word compared it to Roseanne Barr's racist tweet, which got her ABC sitcom cancelled, and argued Bee's show should suffer the same fate as the result. Both Bee and TBS apologized for airing the remark.
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.
@iamsambee
That didn't stop President Donald Trump from chiming in.
Why aren't they firing no talent Samantha Bee for the horrible language used on her low ratings show? A total double standard but that's O.K., we are Winning, and will be doing so for a long time to come!
@realDonaldTrump
Bee isn't backing down, though. She concluded in her speech, "I can tell you, as long as we have breath in our bodies and 21 minutes of airtime once a week, repeats on Saturdays, that we as a show will never stop shouting the inhumanities of this world from the rooftops and striving to make it a better place. But in a comedy way."
"Full-Frontal With Samantha Bee" airs Wednesday nights on TBS.