Jimmy Fallon's 'sexist' mockery of Michele Bachmann

The video: Fishbone's 1985 ska tune "Lyin' Ass Bitch" is almost certainly not Rep. Michele Bachmann's favorite song. Nonetheless, as the GOP presidential candidate took the stage on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Monday night, the show's house band, The Roots, greeted her with the first bars of that salty number, minus the trademark lyric "You're nothing but a little lyin' ass bitch." (Listen to both The Roots and Fishbone's versions below.) Before the show, Roots' drummer Questlove tweeted: "aight late night walkon song devotees: you love it when we snark: this next one takes the cake. ask around cause i aint tweeting title." He later issued an apology, claiming the show was unaware of his intentions, and adding, "I feel bad if her feelings were hurt." Fallon, whose generally positive show earned several Emmy nominations this year, also tweeted an apology, which Bachmann has accepted, although she's called the incident an "outrage" and accused NBC of bias: If "that song had been played to Michelle Obama," Bachmann said, "I have no doubt that NBC would have apologized to her."

The reaction: How disgusting, says Megan Carpentier at The Women's Media Center. "Calling a guest — let alone a seated U.S. congresswoman who is one of a small number of Republican women to ever run for the presidency — a 'lying bitch' is both sexist and unfunny." This sort of regressive "humor" makes "it harder for any woman of any strong opinions," be they liberal or conservative, "to want to poke her head up and run for office." It was cowardly, too, says Allahpundit at Hot Air. "Why not just call Bachmann a 'lyin' ass bitch' to her face? At least that way she'd get to defend herself." Well, this isn't the first time The Roots have been naughty with walk-on music, says Spin. Remember when loathed reality stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt "strode onstage to the sounds of Beck's 'Loser'"? Check out The Roots' mockery of Bachmann, and the Fishbone original:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up