'Insensitive' tweet about 10-year-old

Saturday Night Live  has suspended writer Katie Rich ‘indefinitely’ after tweeting a joke about  Donald Trump’s 10-year-old son.

‘Barron will be this country’s first homeschool shooter,’ she posted during the inauguration.

The tweet was deleted after a few hours but many people demanded an apology or her dismissal. Some Trump supporters launched a campaign to boycott the show, which has never been kind to the President.

In the wake of protests, Rich took her whole Twitter account down, reinstating it to post only: ‘I sincerely apologize for the insensitive tweet. I deeply regret my actions & offensive words. It was inexcusable & I'm so sorry.’

Hollywood website Deadline reports that former Second City comedian Rich, who has been on SNL for three years, has  been suspended. Her name was not on the credits on Saturday’s episode.

Barron has increasingly been the butt of online comments during his father’s political rise. Rosie O’Donnell apologised after retweeting a video suggesting he was autistic, which the maker admitted was ‘false, defamatory and malicious’ after being threatened with a lawsuit.

Chelsea Clinton, who was 12 when her father Bill won his first term as President, stood up for Barron yesterday saying on Facebook: ‘Barron Trump deserves the chance every child does — to be a kid, Standing up for every kid also means opposing POTUS policies that hurt kids.’

The thin-skinned US President has had frequent run-ins with SNL, especially Alec Baldwin’s impersonation of him.

Trump has called for the ‘boring and unfunny show’ to be dropped, complaining: ‘ Not funny, cast is terrible, always a complete hit job. Really bad television!’ And: ‘Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!’

White House press secretary Sean Spicer has also turned on the show, branding it a 'left-wing hit piece’, complaining: 'Those aren't jokes. They're inappropriate…that's not what you're tuning in for.’

Baldwin was absent from last weekend’s show, but will be hosting it on February 11 for a record 17th time.

Published: 24 Jan 2017