Autotrader and State Farm have decided to suspend their sponsorship of “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” after the host called Ivanka Trump a “feckless c—” on the show Wednesday night.
“Thank you to those who reached out regarding our sponsorship of ‘Full Frontal,’” Autotrader said via Twitter on 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.’”
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
State Farm also pulled out, saying in a statement to TheWrap 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.”
But not every advertiser on Bee’s show decided to leave.
“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 made her divisive remarks about Ivanka Trump during her opening monologue Wednesday, as part of her criticism of the first daughter for not doing more about the president’s immigration policies. “Let me just say, one mother to another, do something about your dad’s immigration practices you feckless c—t!” Bee said.
“He listens to you. Put on something tight and low cut and tell your father to f—ing stop it. Tell him it was an Obama thing and see how it goes,” she continued.
The comedian faced backlash for the comment, and White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the statement was “vile and vicious.”
“The collective silence by the left and its media allies is appalling,” Sanders told TheWrap on Thursday. “Her disgusting comments and show are not fit for broadcast, and executives at Time Warner and TBS must demonstrate that such explicit profanity about female members of this administration will not be condoned on its network.”
Bee apologized on Thursday, saying that using the c-word was “inappropriate and inexcusable.”
“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,” she said in a statement. “It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it.”
TBS echoed Bee’s statement with an apology: “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.”
Thank you for reaching out! As a national brand, our ads run on national broadcast, cable, digital, social, outdoor media, and just about everywhere in-between. Our media buys consistently change and reflect the diverse content and audiences we serve. Editorial direction… 1/2
— Discover (@Discover) May 31, 2018
…and content are created by the individual program. *Malina 2/2
— Discover (@Discover) May 31, 2018