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Samantha Bee Slams All The Men Who Want To Make A Comeback After #MeToo — VIDEO
Just days after New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned from his post on the basis of four allegations of abuse and sexual misconduct, Full Frontal host Samantha Bee talked about #MeToo and condemned the men who have been trying to make comebacks after being held accountable by the #MeToo movement. In addition to making it clear how she felt about Schneiderman — "you are trash, and we do not need you" — Bee used her Wednesday segment to revisit the sexual misconduct allegations faced by numerous other prominent men.
Bee acknowledged that Schneiderman had once been a guest on her show, but explained in no uncertain terms that the "good legal work that [he] did for women does not absolve" him. She also made it clear that his willingness to take on domestic violence cases did not make him indispensable.
"Tarana Burke started the #MeToo movement 11 years ago on Myspace," Bee said, addressing her comments to Schneiderman. "It will keep moving forward without you just fine.”
In addition to slamming Schneiderman, Bee criticized Charlie Rose, Mario Batali, and other prominent men who have reportedly trying to rebuild their careers after facing sexual misconduct allegations. Rose was the co-anchor of CBS This Morning until last year, when he was fired following numerous sexual harassment allegations. Then last month, Rose pitched a TV show about men who had been taken down by #MeToo, to which Bee responded:
Maybe before you pitch a TV show about it, ask yourself, Have all the women I’ve nonconsensually shown my penis to come forward in the press? If the answer is no, go away. If the answer is yes, also go away.
Bee was referring to the fact that 27 more women came forward to accuse Rose of sexual misconduct within days of him pitching his new show. Fourteen of these women were former CBS News employees, and the other 13 had worked with him in other capacities, according to a new report from The Washington Post.
Bee's takedown of Rose was part of her broader check-in with the #MeToo movement. As she pointed out, it has been seven months since The New York Times first published its article detailing sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein. As Bee put it, "That is seven months of kind of holding a very limited number of men sort of accountable for sexual harassment and assault, a little bit."
"So, naturally, these high-powered penis weasels are starting to sniff around to see if it's safe to come up out of their holes," Bee added.
Bee then went on to talk about how celebrity chef Mario Batali, after facing multiple allegations of abusive behavior, is now seeking his own comeback — or his "second act," as The New York Times described it. Bee subsequently tore into radio personality Garrison Keillor, who was fired by Minnesota Public Radio after an allegation of "inappropriate behavior with an individual who worked with him.” Keiller is now reportedly seeking someone to handle his social media so he can relaunch his radio show online, and Bee was having none of it. "Good luck trying to get WiFi in the bell tower!" Bee said to whoever ends up taking the social media job.
Bee also briefly mocked Weinstein, who according to The New York Times is currently trying to produce a documentary in order to make his comeback. But for Bee, Rose is perhaps the worst of all the men currently attempting to make their comebacks following allegations of sexual misconduct.
"The only new Charlie Rose show I want to see is a reboot of Shark Tank where someone throws Charlie Rose into a tank of sharks," Bee told her viewers. Bee also said Rose "greeted me, a stranger/colleague," with a kiss against her will when she appeared on his show.
Bee made it clear to Rose, Weinstein, and all of the other men who have been taken down by #MeToo that they will be held accountable, and that "the price of redemption" will be extremely steep — if redemption is even possible. Nonetheless, Bee ended her segment on an optimistic note. She remarked that a record number of women were running for the House of Representatives and other elected offices on all levels of government.
"You know who's a better advocate for women [than Schneiderman]?" Bee asked the audience. "Women! ... The future really is female, or at least it better be, because I am done with this sh*t."