by Inside Amy Schumer, winner of two Emmys in 2015 and nominated for four more Emmy Awards this year, might not return for its fifth season on Comedy Central in time for the 2017 award season. If it returns at all.
That point underscored and hinted at last night by Schumer herself on Twitter, after facing a barrage of social media criticism for one of her Inside Amy Schumer writers, Kurt Metzger.
“I am so saddened and disappointed in Kurt Metzger. He is my friend and a great writer and I couldn’t be more against his recent actions,” Schumer wrote Wednesday night on Twitter, adding later: “Kurt does not work for me. He is not a writer on my show. Please stop asking me about it. His words are not mine…I didn’t fire Kurt. He isn’t a writer for my show because we aren’t making the show anymore. There are no writers for it.”
I didn't fire Kurt. He isn't a writer for my show because we aren't making the show anymore. There are no writers for it.
— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) August 18, 2016
Of course, anyone looking at Schumer’s Twitter page clearly could see that the comedian already has the rest of her 2016 booked with a global stand-up comedy arena tour.
Schumer also just published her first book this week, “The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo,” and wrapped production on a movie in Hawaii with Goldie Hawn. Schumer’s stand-up tour — which saw her headline Madison Square Garden this spring — picks back up next weekend and last through New Year’s Eve, taking her around the world.
The earliest pre-production for season five of Inside Amy Schumer — its renewal announced back in January by Comedy Central — couldn’t start until 2017.
UPDATE: As Schumer clarified on Thursday, you’re just going to have to wait a while.
Doing Standup and focusing on writing more for the next year at least. We are slated for a season 5 but not in the foreseeable future.
— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) August 18, 2016
And she even faced the Metzger question on Charlie Rose, which will air Friday…
As for Metzger?
His Facebook rants, self-admittedly unfiltered “yellies” by Metzger, have earned him heaps of scorn and criticism for several years now. Metzger’s latest Facebook firestorm, which has been ongoing since Saturday, revolves around a New York City comedian accused of rape/sexual assault by multiple female comedians. The UCB Theatre banned the man after investigating the claims, and other comedy venues followed suit upon hearing of the UCB’s action on Saturday. Metzger (and others, including Saturday Night Live‘s Weekend Update co-anchor, Michael Che) jumped into the Facebook fray, alarmed by how many other comedians sought justice via social media without knowing that the alleged rape victims had sought justice via the NYPD and the court system. Not that the odds are great for rape prosecutions. Nor that rape victims have to go public with their stories and out themselves to everyone.
Because he’s worried that social media justice may turn against him someday without any hard evidence being presented to him.
Metzger apologized last night on Facebook, writing in part: “If my disjointed swatting at biplanes like King Kong confused and hurt reasonable people who agree with me, I apologize. It was never my intent to antagonize victims or their supporters. My defensiveness came from feeling deliberately misunderstood. I am not a “rape apologist.” My position has always been in defense of the victims of assault. I realize that when emotions are running high, it might not be the time to aggressively philosophize on a sensitive topic. I stand by the points I made, but I sincerely apologize for using inflammatory language to make them.”
For perhaps slightly more nuance (slightly), Metzger talked about rape culture and how to tackle it on his SiriusXM radio podcast, “Race Wars,” with guests including Charlamagne Tha God, Barry Crimmins, former Jezebel editor Erin Gloria Ryan, a retired NYPD officer, Keren Margolis and his co-host Sherrod Small.
