Samantha Bee
Template:Short description Template:Pp-vandalism Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use Canadian English Template:Infobox comedian
Samantha Anne Bee (born October 25, 1969)<ref name=Dame>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="bio" /> is a Canadian-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actress, and television host.
Bee rose to fame as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, where she became the longest-serving regular correspondent.<ref name="alumni" /> In 2015, she departed the show after 12 years to start her own show, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. The show was canceled in 2022 as a "business-based decision" by TBS.
In 2017, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annual Time 100 list.
Early lifeEdit
Bee was born in Toronto, Ontario, the daughter of Debra and Ronald Bee.<ref name="book" /> She has said of her family: "Dating from well before the turn of the 20th century, if there has ever been a successful, happy marriage in my family lineage, I've yet to hear about it."<ref name="Fresh Air">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bee's parents split up soon after her birth, and she was initially raised by her grandmother, who worked as a secretary at the Catholic school Bee attended,<ref name="Crashed">Template:Cite magazine</ref> on Roncesvalles Avenue during her childhood. She attended Humberside Collegiate Institute and York Memorial Collegiate Institute.<ref name=TorontoStar>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
After graduating from high school, Bee attended McGill University, where she studied humanities. Dissatisfied with a range of issues at the school, she transferred to the University of Ottawa after her first year. At the University of Ottawa, Bee signed up for a theatre class, thinking it would be easy. The class led to Bee discovering her love of performing.<ref name="bio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Crashed" /> Bee later enrolled in the George Brown Theatre School in Toronto.<ref name="TorontoStar" />
CareerEdit
Career beginningsEdit
Bee started auditioning for acting roles in Toronto while working as a waitress.<ref name="Crashed" /> At age 26, Bee toured with a stage production of Sailor Moon where she played the titular role.<ref name="Crashed" /><ref>Template:Cite news (754 words)</ref> Bee performed in Sailor MoonTemplate:'s "A" cast and future husband Jason Jones was a member of the "B" cast.<ref name="Crashed" />
Bee was one of the four founding members of Toronto-based sketch comedy troupe The Atomic Fireballs.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Fireballs were all women. Demonstrating mutual support, the group would try to perform as many of each other's ideas as they could.<ref name="Smirking">Template:Cite news</ref>
2003–2014 at The Daily ShowEdit
Bee became a correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on July 10, 2003.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bee was the sole female correspondent on The Daily Show from her debut in 2003 until Kristen Schaal joined the show in March 2008. She was The Daily ShowTemplate:'s first non-American citizen correspondent.<ref name=Cracked>Template:Cite news</ref> On that program, Bee demonstrated an ability to coax people into caricaturing themselves—particularly in segments like "Kill Drill", on hunters and fossil fuel executives claiming to be environmentalists;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "They So Horny?",<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> on the dearth of Asian men in American pornography; "Tropical Repression", on Ed Heeney, a Florida politician running his campaign based on opposition to gay rights;<ref>Tropical Repression, video aired August 2, 2004. Template:Webarchive</ref> "The Undecided", an over-the-top look at the undecided voters leading up to the 2004 US presidential elections; the "Samantha Bee's So You Want To Bee A..." report series, which humorously caricatured the way in which one can easily obtain a certain job, like becoming a 527 group; and a segment entitled "NILFs" ("News I'd Like to F#@k"), discussing the sexiness of news anchors: "CNN has the wholesome girl-next-door NILFs, the kind you can bring home to meet your mother. MSNBC has the dirty-over-30 NILFs. Fox has the filthy NILFs who will report anything. They're the Hustler of NILFs."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Bee had her first starring role in a feature film in 2004 with the Canadian independent film Ham & Cheese, co-written by her husband Jason Jones and starring Canadian comics Scott Thompson and Dave Foley.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film marked Bee's first starring role.<ref name="Rise and Rise">Template:Cite news</ref> She won a Canadian Comedy Award for "Pretty Funny Female Performance" for her role.<ref name="Rise and Rise" /> Jones joined The Daily Show as a correspondent in 2005, two years after his wife.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="For Two">Template:Cite news</ref> Jones became a freelance correspondent for the show while Bee reduced her workload during her pregnancy.<ref name="For Two" />
In December 2005, on The O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly used a clip of Bee from The Daily Show as an example of "The War on Christmas", presenting it as having aired recently. The satirical clip featured Bee mentioning how Christmas was the only religious holiday that's also a federal holiday in the United States, with O'Reilly talking about "Secular Central...excuse me, Comedy Central".<ref>The O'Reilly Factor, Fox News Channel, December 2, 2005.</ref><ref>The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly, December 2, 2005.</ref> Jon Stewart responded on his show; inviting Bee out for a discussion, and unlike in the clip that aired on Factor, Bee was visibly eight months pregnant. Bee joked it was obvious that the footage O'Reilly showed was a year old (it originally aired in 2004) because she had different highlights in her hair, before stating that her water had just broken.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Rise and Rise" /> Bee was recognized with a 2005 Canadian Comedy Award for Best Female TV Performance for her work on The Daily Show.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On January 20, 2008, Bee finished as the highest scoring celebrity in the CBC game show Test the Nation. She had a minor role in Episode 15, "Spy Something or Get Out", of Little Mosque on the Prairie. Bee also appeared in the 12th episode of Season 20 of Law & Order ("Blackmail", episode 445), which aired on January 15, 2010. She played a minor role in an episode of the HBO series Bored to Death. She appeared as herself on the "Madame President" episode of The Electric Company. Bee also did a guest voice role of a talk show hostess named Pam in the Season 2 finale of Bob's Burgers, in addition to providing the voice of Lyla Lolliberry for two episodes in Season 4 of Phineas and Ferb. She appeared on Sesame Street during Season 42 as Mother Goose. In 2009, Bee appeared in the original cast of Love, Loss, and What I Wore.<ref name=SA>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> That same year, she had a small role in the comedy Whatever Works, written and directed by Woody Allen.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Bee authored a book titled I Know I Am, But What Are You?,<ref name=book>Template:Cite book</ref> which was published in 2010.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She became the longest-serving regular Daily Show correspondent after passing Stephen Colbert's record in 2011.<ref name=alumni>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The same year, Bee collaborated with her longtime friend Allana Harkin on the parenting blog "Eating Over the Sink" for the online magazine Babble.<ref name=nymag>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2012, she appeared in Ken Finkleman's series Good God as Shandy Sommers, a devoutly Christian cable news host. She has also played roles in the series Bounty Hunters and Game On. In 2014, Bee was a panellist on Canada Reads, the CBC's annual national book debate. She defended Rawi Hage's novel Cockroach.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On October 7, 2014, in the absence of Jon Stewart, she co-hosted The Daily Show with Jones.<ref name=":0" />
2015–2022: Full Frontal with Samantha BeeEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} In March 2015, it was announced that she would leave The Daily Show – after 12 years – to host her own satirical news show on TBS.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Bee departed The Daily Show on April 30, 2015.<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref> Her new show, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, debuted on February 8, 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> With the program's debut, Bee became the first woman to host a late-night satire show.<ref name="Smirking" /> Bee also tried to implement a hiring process which would give her show a more diverse staff than what is typical for a late night comedy show.<ref name="Smirking" /> The first season of Full Frontal generated critical acclaim<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and in November 2016, the show was renewed for a second season throughout 2017.<ref>Template:Cite AV mediaTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
Bee is an executive producer of the TBS comedy series The Detour (2016–2019), which she created with her husband, Jason Jones.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> One year into Bee's run on Full Frontal, Time named Bee one of the 100 most influential people in the world.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On April 29, 2017, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee hosted "Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner" which aired on TBS the same evening.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In July 2017, Bee's "Nasty Woman Shirt" campaign raised over $1 million for Planned Parenthood.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In January 2018, TBS renewed Full Frontal for a third and fourth season, set to air through 2020. Bee's deal with Turner runs through 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2018, Bee faced backlash on social media and from the White House for calling Ivanka Trump a "feckless cunt", while criticizing her stance as a mother regarding the immigration policy of Donald Trump. The comments were made in the context of highlighting the administration's actions on immigration and the separation of undocumented children from their parents. Critics on Twitter started a hashtag calling for a boycott of TBS network until Bee's show is canceled.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The day after the segment aired, Bee apologized and "deeply [regretted]" the comment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Comedians Kathy Griffin, Michelle Wolf, Sarah Silverman, and Jon Stewart defended Bee, with Stewart suggesting much of the outrage over the joke was strategic rather than genuine.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The show featured fewer national advertisements the following week.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bee began the episode with an apology to any women she had offended and lamenting that one bad word had overshadowed the policy of detaining undocumented immigrant children which she had been criticizing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2018, Bee formed a production company called Swimsuit Competition, focused on creating original content for television, aiming to work with underrepresented talent and those whose work has been underestimated in the past. The company signed a first-look deal with TBS. Full Frontal producer Kristen Everman was named head of development.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
She appeared as Jillian on the revived The Kids in the Hall, released in May 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On July 25, 2022, Bee's representatives announced that TBS had not renewed Full Frontal for a seventh season, and was officially canceled by TBS.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2023, Bee was named as the host of the 11th Canadian Screen Awards broadcast on April 16.<ref>Noel Ransome, "Comedian Samantha Bee to host Canadian Screen Awards". CBC News, February 7, 2023.</ref>
InfluencesEdit
Bee has credited Jon Stewart as one of her major influences,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and in several interviews she has said that her other comedic influences include Steve Martin, David Letterman, Mary Tyler Moore, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Betty White,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Joan Rivers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
In 2001, Bee married actor and writer Jason Jones, whom she first met in 1996.<ref name="Crashed" /> They reside in Manhattan, New York.<ref name=TVNR>Template:Cite news</ref> In January 2006, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Piper, then returned to The Daily Show in March 2006.<ref name="TVNR" /> On January 24, 2008, Bee announced a second pregnancy on air during a bit about the media's coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign,<ref>Daily Show-Down, video aired January 24, 2008. Template:Webarchive</ref> and gave birth to their second child, a son named Fletcher, later that year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Their third child, a daughter named Ripley, was born in late 2010.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During her third pregnancy, Bee joked she and Jones were "just procreating like we're farmers."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Bee holds dual Canadian-American citizenship after being naturalized in 2014.<ref name="rs-over">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="WP">Template:Cite news</ref>
FilmographyEdit
FilmEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Ham & Cheese | Beth Goodson | |
| 2007 | Underdog | Principal Helen Patterson | |
| 2008 | Coopers' Camera | Nancy Cooper | Won the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Performance by a Female in a Film at the 10th Canadian Comedy Awards |
| 2008 | The Love Guru | Cinnabon Cashier | |
| 2009 | Whatever Works | Chess Mother | |
| 2009 | Motherhood | Alison Hopper | |
| 2010 | Date Night | Woman in Times Square | Uncredited |
| 2010 | Furry Vengeance | Principal Baker | |
| 2014 | Learning to Drive | Debbie | |
| 2015 | Get Squirrely | Raitch (voice) | aka A.C.O.R.N.S.: Operation Crackdown |
| 2015 | Sisters | Liz | |
| 2018 | Elliot the Littlest Reindeer | Hazel (voice) | |
| 2023 | Judy Blume Forever | Herself | Documentary |
TelevisionEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Real Kids, Real Adventures | Neighbour | Episode: "Explosion: The Christopher Wise Story" |
| 2001 | The Endless Grind | ||
| 2003–2015 | The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | Herself (correspondent) | 332 episodes |
| 2003 | Jasper, Texas | Kathy | Television film |
| 2005 | Odd Job Jack | Linda Callahan (voice) | Episode: "Law and Lawless" |
| 2006 | Love Monkey | Carol Dulac – Letterman Booker | Episode: "The One That Got Away" |
| 2007 | Not This But This | Various | Also co-producer |
| 2007 | Little Mosque on the Prairie | Nancy Layton | Episode: "Spy Something or Get Out" |
| 2007 | Rescue Me | Real Estate Agent | Episode: "Animal" |
| 2007 | Two Families | Television film | |
| 2009–2011 | Bored to Death | Renee Dalton | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | Law & Order | Vanessa Carville | Episode: "Blackmail" |
| 2010 | Love Letters | Melissa | Television film |
| 2010–2012 | Sesame Street | Mother Goose | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays | Nancy Slade | Episode: "Sweating" |
| 2012 | Good God | Shandy Sommers | 9 episodes |
| 2012–2017 | Bob's Burgers | Pam, Nurse Liz (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2013 | Bounty Hunters | Stacy (voice) | 13 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Phineas and Ferb | Lyla Lolliberry (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2013–2017 | Creative Galaxy | Mom (voice) | 22 episodes |
| 2014 | The Michael J. Fox Show | Dr. Young | Episode: "Surprise" |
| 2014 | Deadbeat | Darcy | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Halal in the Family | Wendy | Episode: "The Amazing Race" |
| 2015–2016 | Game On | Geri | 25 episodes |
| 2016–2022 | Full Frontal with Samantha Bee | Herself (host) | 218 episodes; also creator, writer, executive producer |
| 2016–2019 | The Detour | Nate's Mother | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | The History of Comedy | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | BoJack Horseman | Herself (voice) | Episode: "The Horny Unicorn" |
| 2020 | Blue's Clues & You! | Herself | Episode: "Happy Birthday, Blue!" |
| 2021 | Robot Chicken | Barbara, Sadness (voice) | Episode: "May Cause a Whole Lotta Scabs" |
| 2022 | The Kids in the Hall | Jillian | Episode 5 |
| 2024 | Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs. the World | Herself (guest judge) | Season 2, Episode 4: "Reading Battles" |
As crew memberEdit
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2016–2019 | The Detour | Co-creator, writer, executive producer |
| 2020 | It's Personal with Amy Hoggart | Executive producer |
StageEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Template:Tooltip | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Love, Loss, and What I Wore | Template:N/a | Westside Theatre | citation | CitationClass=web
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Published worksEdit
Awards and nominationsEdit
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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