Outrage After Colbert Report 'Ching-Chong' Tweet

Many are calling to #CancelColbert
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 28, 2014 7:10 AM CDT
Outrage After Colbert Report 'Ching-Chong' Tweet
Stephen Colbert is seen with Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., during taping at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Tuesday, April 15, 2008.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

An ill-advised tweet sent from the official Colbert Report account yesterday has many people clamoring to #CancelColbert, USA Today reports. It all started on Wednesday's show, when host Stephen Colbert made fun of the owner of the controversially-named Washington Redskins for starting a charity called "Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation." Colbert said he was inspired by the move, because of a "so-called offensive" character he sometimes plays, "Ching-Chong Ding-Dong." (Mediaite notes that Colbert has used the character "to rip Rush Limbaugh‘s mocking attempt at speaking Chinese.") "I am willing to show the Asian community that I care," Colbert said on Wednesday, "by introducing the Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever." The Colbert Report account tweeted out that quote nearly verbatim, but out of context from the rest of the satirical segment, and the backlash was fierce:

  • Sample tweet: "#cancelcolbert because racism [couched] as satire is not a 'joke' it's harm at the expense of marginalized people."
  • The Colbert Report account quickly deleted the tweet and clarified, "For the record @ColbertReport is not controlled by Stephen Colbert or his show. ... This is a Comedy Central account, with no oversight from Stephen/show."
  • Colbert weighed in this morning from his own account: "#CancelColbert - I agree! Just saw @ColbertReport tweet. I share your rage. Who is that, though? I'm @StephenAtHome."
  • On Mediaite, Josh Feldman writes that the character Colbert plays on his show "is purposefully ignorant. ... So bear that in mind as you read about people on Twitter calling for Colbert to be cancelled because of a tweet the show sent out that said some purposefully ignorant things."
(More Stephen Colbert stories.)

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