Stephen Colbert of “The Colbert Report” has sparked a Twitter frenzy due to a tweet he was blamed for sending out that touched on the Washington Redskins football team controversy.
The tweet, sent from the @ColbertReport account, which is run by the Comedy Central channel, read: “I am willing to show #Asian community I care by introducing the Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever.”
The tweet was a reference to Mr. Colbert’s Wednesday evening show, in which he mocked Redskins owner Dan Snyder for offering to start a foundation for Native Americans.
On the television show, Mr. Colbert said he might as well address sensitive issues about his own comedic character of Ching Chong Ding Dong by setting up the Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever.
Shortly afterward, the hashtag #CancelColbert was making the rounds of Twitter.
The offensive joke was later deleted, and Mr. Colbert then sent out a clarification from his own personal Twitter account, @StephenAtHome, saying he had nothing to do with that message, the New York Daily News reported. He also tweeted: “I share your rage.”
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The @ColbertReport handle did ultimately admit that the tweet — and its accompanying mockup message of the ignorant character that Mr. Colbert actually plays on his television show — was not sent by the comedian himself.
“This is a Comedy Central account, with no oversight from Stephen/show,” the account @ColbertReport tweeted out, the New York Daily News reported.
Twitter account holders are still fired up, however — though not for the same reason as when the story took off and when Mr. Colbert was painted as a racist.
One poster to the #CancelColbert feed wrote: “Democrats: Please ask you[r] prominent supporters to stop being publicly racist.”
Another: #CancelColbert is the liberal version of a circular firing squad. I love watching this. Go PC Crowd!”
Another: “I think being offended is becoming a new national sport.”
And one more: “If you want a good laugh, read the #cancelcolbert hashtag. It’s faux outrage at its finest.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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