Samantha Bee talks comedy under Trump, rejects the premise she's America's 'smug liberal' problem


On Sunday's State of the Union, CNN's Jake Tapper asked Full Frontal's Samantha Bee about comedy in the age of President Trump. She called doing her show a form of "catharsis," of trying to make sense of Trump's America. But "we always lean in the direction of funny," she said. "When you're doing topical comedy like this, you really are walking a razor's edge, and you don't want to drop over into the activism side of things too often — you don't really want to do that at all. So we always err on the side of comedy and hope that everything works out."
"You have been cited as part — not part of the reason why Hillary lost, but part of the problem, part of liberal America's problem," Tapper said, citing specifically a Ross Douthat column in The New York Times, "Hillary Clinton's Samantha Bee Problem." Bee joked that she's flattered by the attention, but she doesn't see any evidence. "It's one person's opinion, one wonderful chap who I'd love to have on the show," she said.
Tapper pulled back a bit, noting that Bee has touched on the theme in her show, "so remove yourself from it: Does he have a point about 'smug liberals?' I'm not talking about you, but is there a smug-liberal problem?" "I just can't take responsibility for the way the election turned out," Bee said. "Is there a smug liberal problem? I guess, you know, I don't think there is. I do the show for me and for people like me, and I don't care how the rest of the world sees it, quite frankly. ... We make the show for ourselves, we put it out in the world, we birth it, and then the world receives it however they want."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
Bee emphatically has no plans to ever run for any office herself, she told Tapper, but if the Democrats decided to run a celebrity in 2020, "I don't know that that solves all the ills of the Democratic Party, but I'm willing to try anything."
Tapper had actually appeared for a short bit half-mocking himself at Bee's "Not The White House Correspondents' Dinner" on Saturday night. You can watch their not-terribly-different comedic interaction below. Peter Weber
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Road trip: New England’s maple syrup season
Feature New England is serving up maple syrup in delicious and unexpected ways
By The Week US Published
-
Music Reviews: Mdou Moctar, Panda Bear, and Tate McRae
Feature “Tears of Injustice,” “Sinister Grift,” and “So Close to What”
By The Week US Published
-
What's at stake in the Mahmoud Khalil deportation fight?
Talking Points Vague accusations and First Amendment concerns
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published