Hosting the Oscars is no easy task and while Amy Schumer didn’t have to take on all the pressure of the ceremony because she was joined by Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes, the comedian did seem to take the biggest hit due to a joke aimed at actress Kirsten Dunst.
While speaking on The Howard Stern Show, Schumer talked about a bit she did at the March 27th ceremony in which she pretended to mistake Kirsten Dunst, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for The Power of the Dog, for a seat-filler. For those that don’t know, a seat-filler is someone who sits in a guest’s chair while they leave briefly to go to the bathroom. This is done to give the impression that the room is still full. Fans were VERY upset about the joke because they thought it was a big slight to Dunst and her husband Jesse Plemons, who was also nominated that night for Best Supporting Actor in the same film. Schumer was quick to let people know that both were in on the joke by saying, “Hey I appreciate the love for Kirsten Dunst. I love her, too! Wouldn’t disrespect that queen like that.” Schumer then revealed to Stern that she quickly came out to speak on the jokes because she received death threats in relation to the joke.
“I got death threats. They were so bad the secret service reached out to me. I was like, ‘I think you have the wrong number. It’s Amy, not Will [Smith].’ The misogyny is unbelievable.”
Schumer also said she was contacted by the Los Angeles police department concerning the response to the joke because the threats “were that serious and that many.” The comedian revealed that she was sure to brief all the targets of her jokes in advance. Schumer made a joke about Leonardo DiCaprio having a habit of dating much younger women and she asked his permission to tell it. Schumer said DiCaprio simply replied, “Go ahead.”
Schumer did receive some negative headlines when it went public that she intended on telling a joke regarding Alec Baldwin and the fatal shooting on the set of Rust. Schumer took to her Instagram to make it clear that she was never going to say the joke at the Oscars but she also said she will say whatever she wants at her own live shows. You can check out her Instagram post below!
I know some people have strong feelings about Amy Schumer but there is absolutely NO reason for someone to receive death threats for making a seat-filler joke. This all comes down to some people not liking her and using any loose reason to attack her and make her feel unsafe. This just represents another example that sometimes the internet can be a very unhinged place.
What are YOUR thoughts on Amy Schumer receiving death threats regarding her Kirsten Dunst seat-filler joke?