After expressing his remorse for the families and friends of the victims of the shooting at a South Caroline church this week, and noting that he wasn't planning on saying much about the incident due to the fact that comedy shows aren't really built to deal with this kind of tragedy, The Nightly Show's Larry Wilmore explained to his audience why they were going to spend some time on the issue this Thursday.
WILMORE: So I have to tell you guys. We weren't going to talk much about this at all. I mean, seriously, we're a comedy show right? I mean, what we've built here isn't really designed to handle this kind of tragedy, and let me just say, I know we talk about race a lot on this show, but I think we can all agree this time that this is a racially motivated attack. […]
It couldn't be clearer when it comes out of the killer's mouth, right? But even with all of that evidence, and on a day like today, Fox News just makes my f**king head explode.
Followed by a mashup of clips from Fox today, one of which we covered here, and all saying the same thing, which is that they're not sure what the killer's motives were, and maybe it was an attack on Christians.
WILMORE: I know you guys don't want to admit that racial stuff is going on, but how can there be any doubt when it came out of the gunman's mouth? […]
He told his victims he wants to shoot black people. I think when he says black people, he means black people, and not Christians. […] He's being very clear. Nobody thinks Christians are going around raping everybody and taking over the country, alright? That's not a thing, unless you're a Duggar, right? Then it's a thing.
And then Fox News sends out a black preacher like his black is going to confuse me, right? Black don't distract. It don't. Black don't distract, okay? But nice try anyway Fox.
Cue Fox wingnut E.W. Jackson spouting this nonsense on Fox & Friends:
JACKSON: There does seem to be a rising hostility against Christians in this country because of our biblical views.
WILMORE: No, no, no, no, no, it is not rising hostility against Christians. It's rising, forceful and pervasive hostility against black people, who were meeting in a church, alright? But let's hear more from the Fox brother.
After playing a bit more of Jackson's nonsense and laying into him for his idiotic statement that the shooter chose a church instead of a basketball court, Wilmore laid into 2016 presidential contender Rick Santorum for his jumping "on the bandwagon to wrong town," and the way that social conservatives are bending and twisting themselves to pretend that this incident is about anything but race.
Wilmore wrapped things up with a reminder that it's not the first time this church has seen these sorts of atrocities and the one thing everyone can take comfort in is the fact that the church has proven itself resilient for almost two centuries and that "Mother Emanuel can and will go on."
