Samantha Bee Talks Conventions and Elections: ‘I Don’t Want To Be Fully Taken By Surprise Again’

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede It’s a busy time, politically and comedically, for Samantha Bee. “I probably could do the show for eight hours a day,” said the host of CTV Comedy Channel’s FULL FRONTAL WITH SAMANTHA BEE. “No one would want that.” Well, don’t be so sure! Bee, whose always topical and hilarious show airs new episodes every Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET, took part in a video press conference with TV reporters on Thursday. Naturally, this week’s virtual U.S. Democratic National Convention, and next week’s Republican version, were front and centre in the discussion. So what does Bee miss about in-person political conventions? And what does she NOT miss about them? “Well, what I really do miss is the amount of footage that we would get,” Bee said. “I’ve gone to every single political convention since 2004, when I went to so many with THE DAILY SHOW, and they’re exhausting. It’s just a crazy, circus-like environment, thousands and thousands of people trying to get interviews, you’re just wading through huge crowds of delegates. There’s no oxygen. The kiosks only sell Diet Pepsi and wet turkey sandwiches. I don’t miss that part.” Bee wasn’t done. “I do miss talking to people on the streets, those man-on-the-street moments, catching people at the convention, I miss that so deeply,” she said. “I love that content. It has always been good for our show. Our audience loves it. The physical stuff, like physically being there, taking my high heels off and putting on flip-flops and running around the convention centre, I don’t really miss it. But I would absolutely sacrifice my own comfort to go to a convention, if it were not for COVID.” Bee did give a shout-out to this week’s virtual Democratic convention by adding, “I do think that they did a really good job. It worked. Certainly, I watched it from top to tail. There were ups and downs, but it got better as the week has gone on. They’re learning.” Since the pandemic hit, Bee has been shooting FULL FRONTAL from her home, largely outdoors, rather than indoors. She cited two reasons for that. “Sunshine is the best light, it’s free, it’s usually in the sky,” she reasoned, but also admitted, “I don’t think anybody really wants to watch the entire show from the guest bedroom in my house that my dad sleeps in, looking at the duvet that Ron Bee cuddles up in. Do you really want to watch a show that’s all-duvet? I don’t.” As for the actual presidential election coming up in November, Bee issued something of a warning. “Given what happened in 2016 (with the election of Donald Trump) – and I will never forget that feeling as long as I live – maybe the best, smartest approach to this next few weeks is to plan for the worst, and hope for the best, and somewhere within there lies reality,” said Bee, pointing out that FULL FRONTAL has only eight more new shows before election day. “I don’t want to be fully taken by surprise again. I don’t consider this period to be like an easy cruise to the finish line. This is actually a period of great work, and elbow grease, and we would all be wise to take a skeptical approach, and a realistic approach.” Does Samantha Bee have a message for undecided voters? “If you’re undecided at this point, it’s time to find your own island,” she said. “Sail away toward it. Be free.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv