Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah savage Eric Schneiderman, #MeToo hypocrite


On Monday night, The New Yorker published allegations from four women that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman had physically abused them. "Schneiderman denied the allegations, saying, 'I have not assaulted anyone,' but then immediately resigned," Stephen Colbert said on Tuesday's Late Show. "The women have accused Schneiderman of heinous acts of physical violence, but Schneiderman saw things differently," saying he just "engaged in role-playing and other consensual activity." Colbert wasn't buying it: "Oh, okay, role-playing: 'You be the damsel in distress, and I'll be the angry piece of garbage that causes you distress.'"
But it was the hypocrisy that poured fuel on the Scheiderman fire, given his lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein and advocacy for abused women. "Mr. Schneiderman, I think you misinterpreted the phrase #MeToo," Colbert said.
The push to hold powerful men accountable for abusing women "shows no signs of stopping," Trevor Noah said on The Daily Show. "Who knows, they might even get R. Kelly this year. You realize, he's been uncatchable for years — he's like the #MeToo's bin Laden." But the Scheiderman story is also getting so much attention because "he's one of the biggest opponents of President Trump's agenda," Noah said, "making it rain lawsuits all over Trump."
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.
Still, the hypocrisy is galling. "So it seems this guy was trying to put Harvey Weinstein in jail while he was abusing women himself," Noah said. "This is like finding out Robert Mueller has been taking secret vacations with Putin." He brought out Dulcé Sloan for her thoughts on "this insane issue," and she explained that Schneiderman "sounds like a monster, but in a way, he's still a champion for women," because "he pushed for tougher laws that are going to make it easier for us to throw his ass in jail. I wish every abuser would build a Wile E. Coyote trap for themselves." Watch below. Peter Weber
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.
-
See the bright lights from these 7 big-city hotels
The Week Recommends Immerse yourself in culture, history and nightlife
-
Scientists want to regrow human limbs. Salamanders could lead the way.
Under the radar Humans may already have the genetic mechanism necessary
-
Seven wild discoveries about animals in 2025
In depth Mice have Good Samaritan tendencies and gulls work in gangs
-
A long weekend in Zürich
The Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
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
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
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
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada