Michael Rubens, a correspondent on the TBS satire show "Full Frontal With Samantha Bee," is under fire for a Wednesday segment that mocked a 20-year-old Conservative Political Action attendee by claiming that he had “Nazi hair." Relatives of the butt of Rubens' tasteless joke were quick to point out that Kyle Coddington's partially-shaved head was not a fashion statement, but the result of stage four Brain Cancer.
The great Nazi hair debacle
The segment, which was intended to align Trump supporters with white supremacists, features a B-roll shot of CPAC attendees with Rubens narrating, “This year, the bow ties were gone, replaced by Nazi hair, Nazi hair, Nazi hair.”
Kyle Coddington's sister, Megan, pointed out to Samantha Bee's followers on Twitter that her brother has brain cancer and is not, as Ruben insinuated, a neo-Nazi.
Other Twitter users who know Kyle were quick to also point out that Kyle wasn't even a Trump supporter.
Coddington, who has a GoFundMe page set up to help with his medical expenses, states that he had been undergoing chemo and radiation treatment for stage four glioblastoma -- an incurable form of brain cancer.
Samantha Bee apologizes for mishap, makes donation
On Thursday afternoon, producers of the "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee" show took to social media to apologize for the joke, and made a $1000 donation to Kyle's GoFundMe page. The Washington Post reports that Coddington's GoFundMe page has been flooded with anonymous donations since Thursday afternoon.
When @iamsambee makes fun of your brother for having "Nazi hair." He actually has stage 4 brain cancer, but whatever floats your boat. pic.twitter.com/ULJC8nA3IX
— Megan Coddington (@meg_kelly16) March 9, 2017
“We deeply apologize for offending @_that_kyle in our CPAC segment.
We only learned of his condition today & have removed him from the piece,” the show's Twitter account posted. The clip no longer appears on the "Full Frontal" Facebook and YouTube pages.
There has been no comment yet from Michael Rubens about the controversial segment.
While Coddington's friends, co-workers and family turned to social media to express their anger and indignation, the target of Rubens' segment seems to be taking it all in stride. "Please delete this episode," wrote Kyle Coddington on Twitter. "I look like a balding potato."
