It’s been just a week since the #FireColbert non-troversy ignited on social media in response to Late Show host Stephen Colbert’s crass joke about Donald Trump‘s relationship to Vladimir Putin.
And since then, well, nothing has happened, unless you count a boost in Colbert’s ratings.
Why? Well first of all, the entire hullabaloo turned out to be largely drummed up by right-wing provocateurs. And then there’s the reality that Colbert is a comedian, and comedians tell jokes. Is there an argument to be made that this particular joke was over the line? Sure, but now we’re talking about a line comedians aren’t allowed to cross, and we promise that scenario doesn’t end well when drawn out.
Related: Jim Parsons to Stephen Colbert: “Are you feeling homophobic?”
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None of this was lost on Stephen’s guest and former boss, Jon Stewart.
“I’m not comfortable here. I don’t feel comfortable,” Stewart said as he sat down on Stephen’s couch, irony at high-alert.
“I am perfectly comfortable,” replied Colbert.
“I know you’re comfortable; I don’t feel comfortable…I’ve been reading about you, I’ve been seeing about you in the news — you have a potty mouth.”
“That I do, but might I say,” Colbert quipped back, “I learned it from you, Dad.”
They made up with a kiss:
Later in the conversation, Stewart offered a broader, more sincere take on the events, which one week later already feel like a fuzzy, distant memory:
“The things that you say, even if they’re crass, even if they are in some way not respectful enough to the office of the presidency — we can insult, he can injure. It’s the difference between insult and injury, and I, for the life of me, I do not understand why in this country we try and hold comedians to a standard we do not hold leaders to. It’s bizarre.”
Related: Stephen Colbert addresses #FireColbert controversy: ‘I would do it again’
Watch the exchange below:
Captain Obvious
It would’ve died down already if he had stopped digging his heels into the ground. You don’t fight a bigot with hate speech. Then they get to call you a hypocrite and destroy your message without putting up a fight.
Evji108
it wasn’t hate speech. It was dirty talk. There is a diff.
ErikO
Exactly, and what Colbert said was homophobic/biphobic even if people want to pretend it’s not.
DarkZephyr
@ErikO, it wasn’t homophobic or biphobic or any kind of phobic and there is no “preteding” needed. It was sexual. A similar joke could have been made had one of the two been a woman. The joke referenced their alleged adoration for one another and alleged collusion, it was not an attack on gay or bi men. And frankly, I haven’t noticed you or most of the guys you tend to agree with give one single solitary f**k over homophobia til now all, of a sudden. You never seem to criticize it when it comes form someone who seemingly shares your political affiliation. If I EVER saw you criticize GOP homophobia I might believe that YOU actually believe it was an act of homophobia, however flimsy your grounds for that are, but I simply haven’t seen you do that.
inbama
It seems only yesterday the two of them held a rally in DC to tell us we needed more manners.
How things change when you totally underestimate the enemy.
Xzamilloh
Sooooooo… does the Snatched movie look good to anyone? Because it looks awful to me.
dinard38
WHAT? You mean that ‘whale cum’ joke didn’t make you wanna run out to see this movie?
scotty
mister Noblet cracks me up.
Alexis
Can someone please enlightened me? How was Colbert’s joke homophobic?
DarkZephyr
It wasn’t. Most of the people who claim that it was are Trump supporters who up til now have never given one squirt of p*ss over homophobia. Now all of a sudden they are LGBT activists and allies. But I can promise you that their activism and ally-ship ends here.
n900mixalot
Call a woman the same thing he called Trump on national TV and see what happens.
The double standard is the problem. It’s okay to make gay jokes about people as a way to emasculate and belittle, but do that to a woman, or make a race joke about an ethnic minority, and it’s not okay.
MediaGuy
Obama’s mouth is Trump’s co*ck holster. That sounds more like it.
o.codone
Oh. Good one.
barkomatic
I don’t think Colbert did anything wrong or homophobic. I’m a gay man and I’ve heard far worse at drag shows.
Even if I was offended, so what? I’m so tired of hearing people say “free speech is hate speech”. What scary garbage is that?
dinard38
Yeah. I’ve heard all of this controversy about Stephen’s comment all week. Only with reading this article did I decide to check out what he said. I’m like, that’s what all this controversy is about?
That was in no shape or form a homophobic joke. I’m just getting so damn tired of people being so effin overly sensitive. Everything is offensive. Then people want to jump on social media demanding someone be fired because they were offended. Give me a effin break!!!
n900mixalot
Were the people at the drag show making the joke, straight white men with a global audience?
Like I’ve said before, had he called Hillary Clinton the same thing, or made a joke about Michelle Obama directly related to her ethnicity, the world would be on fire. But since gay men aren’t worth anything at all, jokes about them are no big deal.
Some of us value ourselves enough to see that there IS a double standard.
Terrycloth
Snatched has Amy Schumer in it…enough said right there ..never liked that poor excuse of a comedian/actress…I saw a clip it was bad …poor Goldie has to be in this travesty