Colbert under fire for ‘homophobic’ Trump joke

COMEDIAN Stephen Colbert has been slammed over a jaw-dropping attack on Donald Trump that some say should get him sacked.

COMEDIAN Stephen Colbert has been accused of homophobia after remarking that Donald Trump’s mouth was a “c*** holster” for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Colbert made the comments during Monday night’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, at the end of a 12-minute monologue on the US President’s first 100 days.

“You’re turning into a real prick-tator,” Colbert said. “You attract more skinheads than free Rogaine. You have more people marching against you than cancer. You talk like a sign language gorilla who got hit in the head. In fact, the only thing your mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin’s c*** holster.”

Commentators on both sides were quick to condemn the joke. “The audience loved it, but ... hard to ignore it’s a seriously homophobic punchline,” wrote celebrity gossip website TMZ. “The kind of thing that usually gets celebs in hot water.”

Left-wing news site Vox also weighed in, saying Colbert “tried to insult Donald Trump” but “made a homophobic comment instead”.

“This is a kind of insult that has been used against Trump again and again,” wrote Vox’s German Lopez. “From murals of Trump and Putin making out to late night show gags, it’s now pretty popular among progressives to paint the US and Russian presidents as being gay for each other.

“But the only way this works as a joke is by demeaning gay people. The underlying implication here is that gay relationships are somehow extra funny — that Trump engaging in sexual acts with Putin is hilarious because it’s gay.

“In a setting in which Colbert is deliberately trying to find a way to insult Trump, it’s telling that he resorts to suggesting that Trump is engaging in sexual acts with another man. The suggestion is that the worst thing that could happen for these men is if they engaged in homosexual acts together, as if that devalues them as men, makes them submissive, or emasculates them.”

But left-wing site The Daily Beast hailed the take-down, in which Colbert defended his colleague John Dickerson after Trump used an interview on the CBS host’s show Face the Nation to say he likes to call it “Deface the Nation”.

“President Donald Trump insulted Face the Nation host John Dickerson and Stephen Colbert is pissed,” wrote The Daily Beast’s Matt Wilstein, in an article headlined “Stephen Colbert Demolishes Trump”.

Tweeting in response to The Daily Beast article, former Guardian journalist and founder of The Intercept, Glenn Greenwald, wrote: “Homophobia for the right cause, with the right targets, is good homophobia, apparently.”

Many on social media called for Colbert to be sacked or boycotted, spreading the hashtag #FireColbert. “For someone like Colbert who typically presents himself as LGBTQ ally this is not a good thing,” tweeted Kestin Page‏. “It’s an expression of systemic homophobia.

“It’s weaponizing LGBTQ identity as a punchline. This is a cishet white man using this reference to belittle another cishet dude. Not ok.”

Homophobia for the right cause, with the right targets, is good homophobia, apparently. https://t.co/4rLd1wfTfA

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) May 2, 2017

#FireColbert is now trending on Twitter after the "comedian's" disgusting homophobic and vulgar on-air tirade. https://t.co/TAyVXk7moM

— Lucian B. Wintrich (@lucianwintrich) May 3, 2017

Homophobia and sexual harassment is OK when you're a liberal.

P.S. This is why Trump won. pic.twitter.com/yKTCCmfhto

— Mike Cernovich 🇺🇸 (@Cernovich) May 2, 2017

@Frobeus_NS @ggreenwald For someone like Colbert who typically presents himself as LGBTQ ally this is not a good thing. It's an expression of systemic homophobia.

— Kestin Page (@Kestin) May 2, 2017

If someone said this about Obama, they'd be fired instantly. Contact his advertisers. #FireColbert it's our turn to collect scalps. pic.twitter.com/bx49qxbmys

— Red Pill⏳ (@RedPillDropper) May 2, 2017

You know, it's time to #FireColbert cos if this was Rush saying this about Obama his head would roll. It's time to level the playing field https://t.co/SwXHHFFb3c

— Jake Taylor (@Number7Catches) May 2, 2017

Waaaaaaay over the line. Needs to issue a formal apology & go on several weeks of UNPAID leave. Else, #FireColbert. https://t.co/CcD09EHtvn

— skjult (@skjultster) May 2, 2017

#FIRECOLBERT His remarks about our president were disgusting even for him.

— Claricia Quinn (@ClariciaQ) May 2, 2017

On one hand, @JimmyKimmelLive tugging at the heartstrings with genuine feels. On the other, homophobic @colbertlateshow. #FireColbert

— REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE (@muhfeefees) May 2, 2017

Unfunny show has now become a disgusting show. Turning off CBS. #FireColbert

— Daniel Doran (@danielktdoran) May 2, 2017

RETWEET If you DEMAND that @CBS FIRE HOMOPHOBE Stephen Colbert! Allowing Colbert to stay is a slap to the face of the #LGBT Community! pic.twitter.com/3nsI7kP9L4

— Josh Cornett (@therealcornett) May 2, 2017

Does @proctorgamble and @pampers support anti-gay hate speech and sexual harassment on national TV? #FireColbert pic.twitter.com/4aYB66Msj8

— ApeFroBoogie (@ApeFroBoogie) May 2, 2017

Demand @XyzalAllergy a @SanofiUS company end sponsorship of lewd, homophobic @colbertlateshow @CBS #FireColbert #CancelColbert pic.twitter.com/9WjBD49bgV

— Rosie Unmasked (@almostjingo) May 2, 2017

He's the most vile commentators on TV today. He's helped poison political discourse by using humor to divide rather than unite. #FireColbert

— Americans 4 America (@Yuan1557800) May 2, 2017

Here's a list of @CBS advertisers. Let them know what we think of Colbert's obscene attack on Trump. #FireColberthttps://t.co/dSRwrpbD3Q pic.twitter.com/HJ4mTZjjqA

— Tennessee (@TEN_GOP) May 3, 2017