Comedian apologizes to Ivanka Trump for slur on TBS show

NEW YORK — Comedian Samantha Bee apologized to Ivanka Trump and viewers on Thursday for using an obscenity to describe the president’s daughter and adviser, an incident that quickly thrust her into the middle of the nation’s political divide.

Her network, TBS, also said it was “our mistake, too,” in allowing the language on Bee’s show, “Full Frontal,” on Wednesday.

Her show is taped and not aired live.

Toward the end of a segment about President Donald Trump’s immigration policies that separate children from their parents, Bee said “Do something about your dad’s immigration practices, you feckless …,” adding a profane word.

Bee continued: “He listens to you! Put on something tight and low-cut and tell your father to ... stop it.”

Bee, a former correspondent on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart whose own show has been one of TBS’ big successes since it started in 2016, said that her language was “inappropriate and inexcusable.

“I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it,” she said.

Before t he apology, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called Bee’s language “vile and vicious” and said executives at TBS and corpo- Bee rate parent Time Warner needed to demonstrate that such explicit profanity about f emale members of the administration would not be condoned.

TBS said Bee had taken the right step in apologizing.

The network made no mention of any disciplinary action.

The car company Autotrader said that it would pull its advertising sponsorship from “Full Frontal,” calling Bee’s language offensive and unacceptable.

Coming two days after ABC canceled “Roseanne” following a racist tweet about former Obama administration adviser Valerie Jarrett, Bee’s remark was immediately seized upon by culture warriors.

Some conservatives upset about the “Roseanne” cancellation suggested Bee should meet the same fate, while liberals wondered whether Bee’s words were any worse than some used by President Trump, notably in the “Access Hollywood” tape.

Bee’s commentary had the potential to be a corporate headache. Time Warner, which owns channels including TBS, CNN and HBO, is in the process of being acquired by AT&T for $85 billion.

The Justice Department has sued to block the deal, however, due to monopoly concerns, and a decision on whether it will proceed is expected June 12.