Amy Schumer faced a walkout by an estimated 200 of the approximately 8,600 to 10,000 audience members at her Tampa, Florida, concert Sunday night when part of her comedy set turned to political humor lambasting Donald Trump.
Schumer, 35 — the first female comic to headline Tampa’s Amalie Arena — had begun her show by addressing her recent memoir’s description of Tampa as “horrendous.” According to Tampa Bay Times pop music/culture critic Jay Cridlin, who reviewed the show, Schumer told the crowd, “I [expletive] love Tampa, OK? I do. That’s the truth. It is the only place I’ve ever had a one-night stand. And so it is forever in my heart as an amazing city.”
As the show progressed through topics from sex to dating, Schumer segued into a riff based on the recently unearthed 2005 recording of Republican presidential nominee Trump conversing with “Access Hollywood” correspondent Billy Bush about grabbing women inappropriately and nonconsensually, generally considered a form of sexual assault but which Trump downplayed as “locker room talk.”
“You know what I love?” Schumer asked. “A famous guy that will just take me furniture shopping and just straight up grab my [expletive],” she said, paraphrasing Trump’s words.
At this point, “Loud booing from a vocal, but small minority of the arena crowd started,” wrote Tampa Bay Times political editor Adam C. Smith in a separate article, saying Schumer had “veered into more topical matters, including gun control and the presidential election.”
Schumer eventually referred to Trump as an “orange, sexual-assaulting, fake-college-starting monster”; Smith estimated that “about 200 people walked out” then. Several fans expressed their displeasure on social media, with one person under the handle MommaPayne posting a YouTube video showing Schumer being booed.
“I know you’re here to laugh, but you choose how you’re going to live your life, and it’s just too important,” Schumer said, according to TheWrap.com, adding, “Just so you know, from now on, if you yell out, you’re gonna get thrown out.”
In a statement to TheWrap afterward, Schumer said, “I loved the crowd and my show in Tampa last night! I want to thank the 8,400 people who stayed. We had a great time! We have always depended on comedians to make us laugh and tell the truth. I am proud to continue that tradition.” She also tweeted a link to the favorable Tampa Bay Times review.
