Samantha Bee Apologizes For Mocking Haircut Of Man With Brain Cancer
There was nothing funny about the episode of Full Frontal With Samantha Bee that aired Wednesday, March 8, 2017: In a segment called "Long Day's Journey Into CPAC," Bee mocked several attendees of the Conservative Political Action Conference for all having the same "Nazi haircut."
"This year, the bow ties were gone, replaced by Nazi hair, Nazi hair, Nazi hair," Bee, 47, narrated the segment.
The problem? One of the "Nazi haircuts" she mocked belonged to a young man named Kyle Coddington, who had the style because he was battling stage 4 brain cancer.
Coddington's sister, Megan, tweeted a screenshot of her brother's appearance in the segment, writing, "When @iamsambee makes fun of your brother for having 'Nazi hair.' He actually has stage 4 brain cancer, but whatever floats your boat."
Bee's Full Frontal account tweeted a mea culpa after the backlash began. "We deeply apologize for offending @_that_kyle in our CPAC segment," the show's official Twitter read. "We only learned of his condition today & have removed him from the piece."
Coddington, a registered Democrat, issued his own statement after Full Frontal's apology was published. "These last five months have consisted of many tests, many prayers, and the first rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The side effects of these treatments include weight gain and hair loss. Due to the hair loss, I chose to cut my hair as it was seen on Full Frontal With Samantha Bee last night. Although it is not my preferred style, I am thankful I still have most of my hair. My second round of chemotherapy will begin on March 20, 2017."
He added, "The effects of the comments made on Full Frontal go further than my battle with a serious illness. Everyone in that video was targeted unjustly and profiled without facts or proof of the accusations made...I have been hesitant of supporting Donald Trump from Day 1 and was only 'Never Trump' through the entirety of the 2016 election cycle."
Coddington also blasted Bee's apology for its half-heartedness, writing, "Half-apologizing for offending someone is not apologizing for making baseless accusations against people because of the way they look. This kind of behavior should be rejected by both sides of the aisle."
Perhaps as a way of buying Coddington's acceptance of their apology, the show also donated $1,000 to his GoFundMe page. "I am overwhelmed by the support," he said, "and am grateful to everyone who has contributed."