Samantha Bee’s Advertisers Begin to Jump Ship
A number of companies that once ran commercials during Samantha Bee’s Full Frontal have begun to pull out after she made a controversial joke aimed at Ivanka Trump.
Both Autotrader and State Farm severed ties with the network in the wake of outcries after Bee referred to President Donald Trump’s daughter as a “feckless c***” during her Wednesday night broadcast.
“Thank you to those who reached out regarding our sponsorship of ‘Full Frontal,’” Autotrader said in a statement from its 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 soon followed suit, telling TheWrap it had asked TBS “to suspend our advertising.”
“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,” a spokesperson said Thursday.
Other advertisers, like credit-card company Discover, stood by the comedian.
“As a national brand, our ads run on national broadcast, cable, digital, social, outdoor media, and just about everywhere in-between,” The company tweeted. “Our media buys consistently change and reflect the diverse content and audiences we serve. Editorial direction and content are created by the individual program.”
Both White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and First Lady Melania Trump criticized Bee, with Huckabee Sanders calling the joke “vile.”
Bee eventually apologized in a statement shared on Twitter.
“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.”
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