Samantha Bee announced Thursday that she’s leaving The Daily Show, and with her, she’s taking something really special that she brought to Comedy Central as a member of the show’s cast.
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The good news is that Bee is leaving because she has a deal to produce and host her own satirical news show on TBS. The bad news is that, without her, The Daily Show will be missing someone who helped it be at the forefront of the fight for feminism on television.
During her tenure on The Daily Show, Bee was the show’s voice for feminism. Here are just a few examples:
She wasn’t afraid to take on men
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… and she frequently outwitted them. In the above interview with Peter Schiff, CEO of Euro Pacific Capital, he contends raising the minimum wage would mean fewer jobs. Without missing a beat, Bee replies, “Why have one job at $15 an hour, when I could have two jobs at $7 an hour?” She was never afraid to call things like she saw them, especially in the presence of powerful men like Schiff.
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She worked hard to highlight important women’s issues
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My absolute favorite of Bee’s work was the above segment on women in combat. She mercilessly mocked claims that women would distract their male counterparts and she brought to light other inequalities for women in the military, like how they can face serious consequences when they report sexual harassment or assault. Bee never stopped working to advance the conversation about equality for women — in the military, in other workplaces and elsewhere.
She took on uncomfortable, controversial subjects
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Sure, everyone on The Daily Show regularly tackles the tough stuff. The difference is that Bee worked with a predominantly male staff. Instead of being intimidated by that, she met the challenge head-on and proved that she deserved to be there. How many men would get penis pumps stuck to their faces on TV to make a point? I don’t know any.
She knew where she deserved to be
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In the anchor chair, obvs. ‘Nuff said.
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