Samantha Bee on “C-Word” Debacle: “It Was a Pretty Steep Learning Curve”

“The level of ferocity is something I hadn’t quite experienced up to that point, but I assume I’ll go through it again.”

Little more than a month after finding herself a fixture of our outrage-loving news cycle for referring to first daughter Ivanka Trump as a “feckless c—t,” Samantha Bee and her TBS series Full Frontal scored the most Emmy nominations to date for them — seven, including one in the particularly competitive outstanding variety talk series race.

“You can’t celebrate your victories long. That’s all I’m saying,” Bee said during a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, a few hours after Thursday morning’s announcement. With the c-word fiasco now behind her, the comedian said her swift public apology was not the end of it.

“It affected me a lot,” explained Bee. “I’ve been thinking a lot about it. We had a scheduled vacation around July 4, and it was a time of reflection.”

That’s not to say Bee thinks that kind of public reaction to her program won’t happen again. The 48-year-old Daily Show alum was quick to note that invoking ire from anyone seems to be part and parcel of the current cultural and political climate.

“I do think that being a part of the outrage machine is an inevitability now,” she added. “That’s a reality everyone has to grapple with — not just me. The level of ferocity is something I hadn’t quite experienced up to that point, but I assume I’ll go through it again. Maybe I’ll be better prepared next time. I think we handled it well, but it was a pretty steep learning curve.”

Thursday’s Emmy nominations clearly reflect continued support from her community. Bee beat out such heavy hitters as Jimmy Fallon, Bill Maher and Seth Meyers for her nomination in the top talk race. TBS also seems to have her back, though her series is said to be getting more oversight after the slur.

And all of that is not to say that Bee doesn’t still have a sense of humor about the ordeal. When asked if she had any advice for Emmy hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost, her answer was brief but compelling: “I know one word they shouldn’t say.”