“After a massacre,” Samantha Bee said on the most recent episode of her show “Full Frontal,” “the standard operating procedure is that you stand on stage and deliver some well-meaning words about how we’ll get through this together, how love wins…But you know what? Fuck it. I am too angry for that. Love does not win unless we start loving each other enough to fix our fucking problems.”
Thus began Monday night’s episode of her weekly show, and Bee’s tirade in the aftermath of the Orlando shooting didn’t stop there. She went on to rip open the NRA, Marco Rubio, Florida Governor Rick Scott, and the second amendment.
As The Atlantic pointed out, since the departure of Jon Stewart from Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” the late-night political commentary crown has been up for grabs, and Bee has been making an impressive case for coronation. As the Atlantic writes, “her straightforward approach seems refreshing in such polarized political times. Comedians like Stewart helped redraw the lines between comedy and advocacy, and not only is Bee taking up his mantle, but she’s also doing something new with it. In a crowded media world, viewers appreciate directness, even from their entertainers. Bee’s voice stands out precisely because she’s not trying to appeal to broad common denominators. She knows her audience, and she knows how to appeal to them: by speaking loud and clear.” Late-night television is, of course, dominated by men, making Bee’s voice even more necessary and powerful.
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” airs Monday night’s at 10:30pm on TBS. Watch Bee’s riveting opening segment below.
