State Farm becomes second sponsor to drop Samantha Bee over Ivanka Trump slur
State Farm insurance became the second company on Thursday to drop its sponsorship of comedian Samantha Bee’s TBS show “Full Frontal” following her vulgar slur directed at first daughter Ivanka Trump.
“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,” State Farm said in a statement reported by The Wrap.
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The company’s decision comes just hours after the online car shopping site Autotrader announced it had cut ties with the show after Bee called Trump a “feckless c—.”
Bee apologized for the remark from the opening monologue of her show Wednesday, saying it was “inappropriate and inexcusable.” But the comedian had continued to face backlash online from prominent media figures.
Other companies such as Discover credit cards held their sponsorship despite criticism from customers, noting on Twitter that “editorial discretion and content are created by the individual program” among its ad platforms.
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
The White House blasted Bee on Thursday following her insult directed at the president’s eldest daughter, saying “Full Frontal” is “not fit for broadcast” after the derogatory remark.
TBS indicated Thursday that it would not punish Bee over the crude comment, saying Bee “has taken the right action in apologizing for the vile and appropriate language she used.”
“Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it,” TBS said.
The backlash came just days after ABC canceled its hit sitcom “Roseanne” amid outcry over a racist tweet its star Roseanne Barr sent taking aim at former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. Barr also apologized for the comment and deleted the tweet.
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