When SNL Writer's Suspension Over 'Inexcusable' Barron Trump Tweet Sparked 79,000 Signature Petition

When Saturday Night Live writer Katie Rich posted a tweet about Barron Trump during inauguration weekend, it sparked a firestorm on social media. Her comment, suggesting that Barron might become "this country's first homeschool shooter," was met with swift backlash. Rich, who has been a writer for SNL since 2013, faced intense criticism, with many calling for her to be fired. As a result, she was suspended indefinitely from the show.

When the 10-year-old son of former President Donald Trump made a television appearance, he was often photographed sitting behind his father at the inaugural ceremony at the US Capitol, drawing a lot of attention. A widely shared meme made Barron seem like the much-maligned villain King Joffrey from Game of Thrones. Jokes like this were met with criticism right away because they featured a child who didn't ask to be in the spotlight. After all, first-family children aren't supposed to be discussed.

During the inauguration festivities on Friday, Katie Rich tweeted, "Barron will be this country's first homeschool shooter." Rich received a tonne of nasty comments—and not only from Trump fans. Her SNL supervisors were not pleased either. After tweeting, she was suspended right away, according to a person with knowledge of the matter who was not permitted to talk in public. Following the backlash, Rich, 33, disabled her Twitter account but quickly added it back to apologize. "I sincerely apologize for the insensitive tweet. I deeply regret my actions & offensive words. It was inexcusable & I'm so sorry," it stated. Almost 79,000 people signed a petition on Change.org asking for her to be fired.

The Rich scandal occurred on the same day that Saturday Night Live revealed Alec Baldwin, who gained fame for his mocking impressions of Donald, would have another opportunity to make fun of him when he hosts the program for a record-breaking 17th time on February 11. Donald has repeatedly tweeted his criticism of Baldwin's impersonation, saying it is "totally biased, not funny...just can't get any worse." Sad," with the actor sporting tan cosmetics and a specially-made Donald wig. He has opened the program several times, usually with the assistance of Beck Bennett as bare-chested Vladimir Putin and Kate McKinnon as Donald's amanuensis Kellyanne Conway. Baldwin has promised to cease making fun of the former president until he makes his tax returns public, as per USA Today.

Julie Bowen, a star of Modern Family who featured in Hillary Clinton's Fight Song video, also faced backlash after she shared a series of Instagram pictures poking jokes about Barron's reactions during the inauguration. Bowen received hundreds of comments on her Instagram pictures, many of them criticizing the actress for even bringing up Barron. In defense, Bowen tweeted, saying, "I love that Barron is a kid being a kid. My kids would be a horror show at a public event!," the woman wrote. "Just trying to keep it light," as per US Weekly.