Readers upset Daily Beast criticized late-night hosts for hypocrisy over Biden allegations
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Daily Beast upset some of its readers on Sunday by publishing a piece pointing out the alleged hypocrisy of late-night comedians joking about President Trump's infamous “Access Hollywood” tape while avoiding Tara Reade’s sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden.
The piece, written by Daily Beast senior entertainment editor Marlow Stern, was headlined, “Why Have the Big Late-Night TV Hosts Gone Silent on Tara Reade?” Stern examined how the same late-night shows that “had a field day” with the tape of Trump making lewd comments about women and other sexual assault allegations that have been levied against the president.
“So it’s disappointing to see them fail to apply a similar standard to Joe Biden,” Stern wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It has been about a month since Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer in Joe Biden’s office, accused the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee of sexual assault. According to Reade, in 1993 Biden pinned her up against a wall in a hallway, put his hands up her skirt, and digitally penetrated her without her consent. The allegation has since made national headlines, compelling an appearance by Joe Biden on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to deny the claim,” Stern wrote. “Among the late-night set, the only hosts to address the Reade story were HBO’s John Oliver and Bill Maher. And they did so in passing.”
The item reported NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” CBS’ "Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and Comedy Central’s “Daily Show with Trevor Noah” haven’t mentioned claims against Biden.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“The big four politically inclined late-night hosts, however — Colbert, Kimmel, Meyers and Noah? Radio silence,” Stern wrote. “The Daily Beast reached out to representatives for Colbert, Kimmel, Meyers and Noah for comment on why they’ve tiptoed around the Reade story but none of them responded.”
The Daily Beast, which typically leans left, added that “perhaps there’s an argument to be made that these are comedians, and that the Reade allegation, horrifying as it is, does not make for good late-night comedy fodder.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But Stern feels that if comedians “cast themselves as outspoken allies of the #MeToo movement” then they “shouldn’t hold back from holding their fellow lefties’ feet to the fire.”
When the Daily Beast shared the story on Twitter, liberal readers attacked the website for putting claims against Biden in the same ballpark as claims against Trump: