The late-night hosts pulled no punches Thursday night in the condemnation of their fellow comedian-turned-senator Al Franken for allegedly groping and forcing his tongue down the throat of KABC anchor Leeann Tweeden in 2006.
Early Thursday, Leann Tweeden, the news anchor for “McIntyre in the Morning,” penned a confessional on the KABC website alleging that while working with Franken on a USO show back in 2006, he forcefully kissed her while rehearsing a sketch and groped her while she slept, providing a creepy photo of the incident as proof.
Franken has since issued two apologies; the first entirely insincere, saying his groping of Tweeden was “clearly intended to be funny”; the second apology was more remorseful. Though Tweeden accepted the apology, late-night comedians didn’t, and had themselves an Al Franken roastfest.
On the “Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” the revelations about Franken were met with questions about the existence of any more good people left in Hollywood and Washington.
“I guess there are no good people left. Let’s just get it over with,” said Colbert. “Just tell us whatever you did Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, Tom Hanks, Malala. As a fellow comedian I long admired Al Franken, but I got to say this does not bode well for Louis C.K.’s senate hopes.”
Colbert took Franken to task for trying to play off his creepy picture as a joke that landed flat.
“Intended to be funny, but wasn’t? No. Your movie ‘Stuart Saves His Family’ was intended to be funny but wasn’t,” said Colbert. “That photo was intended to embarrass her. That’s why he did it while she was asleep. Nobody goes up to their buddy when he’s awake and says ‘Hey can I draw a penis on your forehead?’”
Next up we have Seth Meyers, who called the photo “horrifying” while suggesting that women should perhaps consider Tweeden’s wardrobe choice to ward off future predators.
“She’s wearing army gear because it’s a USO tour but honestly who could blame women if they started wearing military gear whenever they are around men,” said Meyers.
“Daily Show” host Trevor Noah shared in his fellow comedians’ dismay during his segment “Al Franken, hashtag you, too?”
“Even if there wasn’t a woman in that picture, that pose is it’s own crime,” said Noah. “If I saw Franken doing that in the supermarket, I’d be like ‘Hey leave that fruit alone!'”
Noah also demanded we know the identity of the mystery man behind the camera in that creepy photo.
“This story is another example how at all levels we men have been complicit in perpetuating the culture that devalues women,” he said. “I don’t care who you are: Democrat, Republican, black, white, rich, poor, men. Because you forget it’s not just Al Franken in the picture. It’s the guy who is taking the picture. His Billy Bush. Who’s that guy?”