‘The Colbert Report’ Racist Tweet Outrages Fans, #CancelColbert Now Trending
Both Comedy Central and Stephen Colbert have well-established that 'The Colbert Report' features the political satirist in a deliberately-heightened and ultra conservative fictional representation of himself, though a new controversy has emerged from the most recent episode. Following an out-of-context tweet from 'The Colbert Report''s page, accusations of racism have been leveled at the host, with some even calling to "#CancelColbert."
The incident began with a since-removed tweet from 'The Colbert Report''s Twitter account, which posted to its million-plus followers:
I am willing to show #Asian community I care by introducing the Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever.
The tweet referenced a specific bit from Wednesday's 'Colbert Report' broadcast, in which Colbert's on-air persona followed the example of Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder in creating the "Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation," a questionable attempt to mitigate its own accusations of racism in the team's name.
Sans any context from the show itself, the tweet came under heavy scrutiny from the internet at large, accusing both the series and host Stephen Colbert of racism, and spawning a "CancelColbert" hashtag. Colbert himself reached out over Twitter to distinguish his own account from that of the show's fictional persona, while both Comedy Central and the 'Colbert Report' Twitter account have since clarified that Colbert has no actual control over the feed.
We've included the bit in question below (beginning around 5:30 - if the video doesn't play, you can watch directly here), but in the meantime, what do you think? Did the 'Colbert Report' Twitter account step over the line? Was the bit's satire clear in the first place? Tell us what you think of the 'Colbert Report' controversy in the comments!