Conservatives are demanding comedian Stephen Colbert apologize to Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon after falsely accusing her in a recent monologue of lying.
During an Oct. 25 gubernatorial debate with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the Republican highlighted the issue of children being exposed to sexually explicit material in schools. As an example, she used the jarring story one Dearborn resident told her recently about how he found “content in my school library describing how to have sex with my son."
"Dixon's not the only one worried about this issue. So is this guy she totally made up," Colbert said.
The comedian then played the clip from the debate where Dixon relayed the story.
(~5:45 mark)
“OK, fine, ‘that happened,’” Colbert said using air quotes.
But it turns out the man, Khalil Othman, is real and he did tell that story during a recent Dixon rally.
The Dearborn man I referenced in the debate is real and his story is compelling.
— Tudor Dixon (@TudorDixon) November 2, 2022
Does the very unfunny @StephenAtHome have the courage to admit he was wrong and acknowledge him? https://t.co/yL78QNBnbw
"To claim that I'm not here, I don't exist, I'm not human, that's absolute ignorance," Othman, 41, a father of five and former Dearborn city council candidate, told the Free Press. "If this person did his due diligence and start researching or has his team do a little bit of research of who's this person who attended Dixon's rally, they will be able to find my name right away easy on social media. Just Google it."
Dixon also criticized Colbert for doubting Othman's existence during a campaign stop Sunday in Dearborn that Othman attended.
"I told his story (during the debate)," Dixon said Sunday of Othman to hundreds in Dearborn. "And Stephen Colbert picks it up. ... And they make this whole skit about how this has never happened. That's what he said, this story never happened. That's where the Democrats are right now. You don't exist, your stories are not important." (Detroit Free Press)
As Othman, a “proud Muslim American,” explained at a Dixon rally in Flat Rock on Oct. 21, he’s voting Republican for the first time because of the issue.
"Dearborn has been voting Democrat blue for the last decade or two decades. But not anymore. On behalf of myself and my family, I guarantee you for sure that my family and my friends will vote for Republicans,” he said.
In a Facebook post, Othman explained he’s always voted for Democrats but this issue is where he draws the line: "The situation with the sexually explicit material in the schools was for me a bridge too far. When it comes to my kids and my family, I will not budge."
Conservatives are now demanding an apology.
. @StephenAtHome must apologize to @TudorDixon and @cbs should demand it. https://t.co/ISoAWbSfKa
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) November 2, 2022