Katie Rich says she’s very sorry for going way overboard when it comes to Barron Trump.
But the Saturday Night Live writer issued her mea culpa long after her controversial Tweet went public and she got suspended by producers as a result.
Rich has worked for SNL since 2013, writing exclusively these days for the show’s famous Weekend Update segment.
During Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday afternoon, she jumped on social media and wrote the President’s 10-year old son:
Barron will be this country’s first homeschool shooter.
Yeah. She went there. Is it any wonder this so-called joke led to severe backlash against Rich?
You can easily argue that any comment about Barron Trump is off-limits, considering his age and considering he has nothing to do with his father’s personality or politics.
But a quip about the kid growing up to shoot up a school? YIKES.
Rich deleted the Tweet a few hours after it went viral, but it was way too little and most definitely too late.
According to Deadline, Rich was not listed in the credits for this past Saturday’s episode and is on “indefinite” suspension.
She has since made her Twitter account private and written the following apology:
I sincerely apologize for the insensitive tweet. I deeply regret my actions & offensive words. It was inexcusable & I’m so sorry.
The issue of leaving Barron Trump alone has become a significant one in the days since his father was sworn in as President of the United States.
Modern Family actress Julie Bowen, for example, got in trouble as well on Friday for live-blogging the inauguration and focusing many of her comments on Barron.
Even though none of her cracks were really at Barron’s expense. They just used his expressions as a way to slam his controversial father.
But the topic of First Children has always been off-limits across the aisle.
For all the negative things critics have said over the years about Barack Obama, no one in any position of respect or authority dared to say a word about Sasha or Malia.
After learning about the cyberbullying that was aimed at Barron, Monica Lewinsky actually came to the defense of Donald’s youngest son.
The ex-mistress of Bill Clinton has made it her mission to take on cyberbullying, following all the flak she took back in the day for her affair with the former President.
“All children need to be protected from bullying + mockery. (incl #barrontrump). let’s be better than this,” Lewinsky Tweeted Monday.
Melania Trump has also said her main platform as First Lady will be to speak out strongly and to create some kind of movement against online harassment.
(We assume she’ll start with her husband.)
Chelsea Clinton, who was only 12 years old when she first moved into the White House and whose mother was nearly elected in November, also came to the defense of Barron Trump on social media.
She wrote:
“Barron Trump deserves the chance every child does-to be a kid. Standing up for every kid also means opposing POTUS policies that hurt kids.”
Perfectly said, don’t you agree?
Aim your wrath at the man who deserve it, Donald Trump.
Leave his young kid alone.
