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Hashtag activists want Stephen Colbert off latenight over his dig at Donald Trump.
Trump supporters on Twitter spent the better part of Tuesday angrily calling for the firing of Late Showhost Stephen Colbert after the comedian capped off his opening monologue with a crude joke about the President's, erm, close relationship with Russia.
"The only thing your mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin's c--k holster," Colbert ranted, the last line in a scathing response to Donald Trump's recent discourteous treatment of CBS reporter John Dickerson.
The zinger didn't go unnoticed by fans of the 45th U.S. President, who took to Twitter to demand Colbert's head on a platter and caused the hashtag #FireColbert to trend all day long. However, Trump supporters weren't the only ones upset by Colbert's joke. Many people used the #FireColbert trend to express their offense on behalf of the LGBT people who they believe were maligned by the joke.
#FireColbert @CBS
— Annie Higgins (@Midwood49) May 3, 2017
What Colbert said about Trump was homophobic and also showed total disrespect for the POTUS. He went way overboard
So, Colbert is saying homophobic things again? Disappointing that CBS supports and empowers this. #firecolbert
— Michael Oxley (@Truthchampion16) May 2, 2017
The #FireColbert controversy is reminiscent of the #CancelColbert trend, which happened three years ago after many viewers were upset by a joke Colbert tweeted that was perceived as being racist.
The fact that Colbert can make homophobic statements shows his privilege & systematic oppression of minority groups.#FireColbert
— Scott Presler (@ScottPresler) May 3, 2017
But some Late Show viewers simply hated the danged indecency of it all.
#FireColbert I enjoy political humor but @colbertlateshow crossed a line of decency. Doesn't matter if your a liberal or conservative. @CBS
— Bob Reilly (@bobreilly01) May 3, 2017
Meanwhile, a handful of wild-eyed optimists descended upon the hashtag with counter-arguments...
#FireColbert Implying a man enjoys oral sex with another man is not homophobic - implying that it's wrong, is.
— RoninDave (@ronindave) May 3, 2017
...While others smugly reminisced about prior campaigns to censure artists for their sins against Republican sensibilities.
I see #FireColbert is trending. I wonder if he'll suffer the same horrible fate that Starbucks and Hamilton suffered after their boycotts 😂
— Francis Maxwell (@francismmaxwell) May 3, 2017
And eventually, Flight of the Conchords star Jermaine Clement showed up and shot the hashtag dead.
Saw #FireColbert is trending and agree. @StephenAtHome, you are ON FIRE, COLBERT! #KEEPBURNING!
— Jemaine Clement (@AJemaineClement) May 3, 2017
(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS.)