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‘Colbert Report’ Online Joke Sparks Accusations of Racial Insensitivity

Mar 28, 2014  •  Post A Comment

A Twitter campaign called #CancelColbert began trending Thursday after the “Colbert Report” account sent out a joke that some felt was racially insensitive toward Asians. But Stephen Colbert, who hosts the Comedy Central program, said he didn’t write the tweet, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The tweet 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 joke referred to a section of Wednesday’s show in which Colbert made fun of Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder for establishing the Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation. The move was part of efforts to counter complaints about the team’s name, which is considered racist and distasteful by some.

Colbert has used the “Ching-Chong Ding-Dong” phrase as a caricature going back to at least 2011, the story notes.

But the tweet, taken out of context, upset some Twitter users, who started the #CancelColbert campaign. The tweet was later deleted by Comedy Central, although screen saves had already captured it.

The story notes, “In the early hours of Friday, Colbert had caught wind of the imbroglio and took to his personal account @StephenAtHome to clarify that his Comedy Central show’s verified Twitter account is not written by him. He also suggested that [he] doesn’t even know who writes it. ‘The Colbert Show’ Twitter account also tweeted a series of messages saying its host had nothing to do with the joke gone wrong.”

stephen colbert.jpgStephen Colbert

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