‘Colbert Report’ Redskins tweet causes frenzy

Omama Altaleb, Special to wtop.com

WASHINGTON — TV comedian Stephen Colbert is facing heat after tweeting a satirical joke referring to the Washington Redskins name on Wednesday’s “Colbert Report.”

Posted Thursday from the official @ColbertReport account, the tweet said, “I am willing to show #Asian community I care by introducing the Ching-Chong Ding-Dong Foundation for Sensitivity to Orientals or Whatever.”

The tweet drew from Colbert’s own comments during his satire news show.

The tweet was removed shortly after its post because of an outcry from the account’s more than one million followers.

The tweet was in response to an announcement Redskins owner Dan Snyder made about launching a charity called “Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation.” On the show, Colbert joked about the charity’s name saying it’s a public relations move to lessen the controversy surrounding the Redskins name.

The charity’s purpose is to “provide resources that offer genuine opportunities for Tribal communities,” USA Today reports.

Although the original tweet was removed Thursday, The Colbert Report account responded later in the day:

Less than an hour later, the account posted a tweet clarifying who operates the verified Twitter account:

The hashtag #CancelColbert is still trending on the social media site.

The official Colbert account @StephenAtHome tweeted Friday:

But it looks like it’s going to take a little more than two tweets to cancel the hashtag.

Although some people would rather have @StephenAtHome stay home by cancelling his show, others say the tweet wasn’t offensive.

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