Margaret Cho has sparked an online backlash after joking about the death of Senator Lindsey Graham.
The 57-year-old comedian, who identifies as queer, made a reference to long-standing rumors about the late politician’s sexuality after his death at the age of 71.
In a video post on Facebook Live, Cho said: “Bye Lindsey… Bye Lindsey Graham. From the closet to the coffin, real seamless. Real seamless.”
During Graham’s life there were persistent rumors about his sexuality, based on the fact that he was unmarried and never had children. In 2022, Whoopi Goldberg apologized for making a joke on the subject on The View.
Cho went on to reference Senator Mitch McConnell, who was recently hospitalized, and an unnamed third figure, saying: “Also yeah, Mitch McConnell. So, it’s Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham… it does happen in threes. Hope!”
Cho’s comments were widely condemned by X users. One wrote: “It must be awful to be so filled with hate. The difference between liberals and conservatives or at least crazy liberals, especially the ones in Hollywood, is that conservatives would never celebrate someone’s death even if he were of the opposite political party. We’re just not like that. Thank God!”
Another added: “It’s sad to see such hate. I once was a fan of Margaret Cho well we can cancel that right now—I am an Independent and to mock the death of someone (I doubt she knew him) forget his family and friends it’s truly disgusting and shameful. Grow up Margaret show some class.”
Other users called for Cho’s work to be boycotted, with one writing: “I hope this a career destroying move for Margaret Cho. All her tv shows and movies should be boycotted. We are sick and tired of woke Hollywood and it’s perverted agenda.“
Earlier in the day, the hosts of The View criticized people who have celebrated the death of Graham.
“I saw a lot of posts online this week celebrating his death and rejoicing,” The View co-host Ana Navarro said during Monday’s episode. “I know Trump does that,” she said, referring to Trump’s polarizing comments after the deaths of director Rob Reiner, John McCain and former FBI director Robert Mueller.
“But it’s inhumane and it’s really lacking empathy,” Navarro continued. “The dead person is dead and can’t hear you and can’t read your posts, but his family — his sister, who he adopted when she was 13 when both of their parents died — is alive and is hearing it.”
Graham died from a ruptured aorta arising from a hardening of the arteries caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to Washington D.C.’s Medical Examiner.