Colbert Writer Under Fire for Mocking Barbara Bush’s Looks

Jen Spyra, a writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is facing a public backlash for reacting to the news of the passing of Barbara Bush with a joke about the former first lady’s looks.

“RIP Barbara Bush, the only woman who was 92 for 30 years,” Spyra tweeted.

While some praised and defended the humor, most of the replies were negative and critical.

Many of the replies pointed out the double standard leftists like Spyra frequently travel in when it comes to mocking age and looks.

Others pointed out why Mrs. Bush’s hair grayed prematurely and why she refused to dye it.

The New York Times adds, “Barbara Bush’s brown hair began to gray in the 1950s while her 3-year-old daughter, Pauline, known to her family as Robin, underwent treatment for leukemia. She died in October 1953. Barbara Bush eschewed dying her hair, which ultimately turned white. She later said that dyed hair didn’t look good on her and credited the color to the public’s perception of her as “everybody’s grandmother.”

Some of Spyra’s critics kept it simple:

Mrs. Bush was very comfortable in her own skin and with her looks.

She is quoted as saying: “People who worry about their hair all the time, frankly, are boring.”

On aging, she said: “Never ask anyone over 70 how they feel. They’ll tell you.”

On her petty critics: “Why be afraid of what people will say? Those who care about you will say, Good luck! and those who care only about themselves will never say anything worth listening to anyway.”

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