I wasn’t going to talk any more about the Jemele Hill controversy beyond what I said yesterday — you know, that the SportsCenter anchor tweeted that Trump is a white supremacist and ESPN immediately came out and said she wasn’t speaking for them — because while I was disappointed by ESPN’s statement, they are a corporate interest, I get they don’t want to piss off half of the viewing audience by implicitly agreeing that the president is a racist.
But then the White House got involved and called for Hill to be fired.
To remind you, Jemele Harris tweeted the following on Monday:
And as noted, ESPN put out a statement:
Hill followed it up with one of her own:
And that was that … until during yesterday’s White House press briefing, Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about Hill’s tweets and if Trump was aware of them, and she said the following: “I’m not sure if he’s aware but I think it’s one of the more outrageous comments that anyone could make and certainly something I think is a fireable offense by ESPN.”
First of all, let’s be clear: Hill is individual who has the right to say whatever she wants and ESPN has the right to fire her if they decide that what she said is offensive. The First Amendment does not protect her from being fired, that’s not how the First Amendment and freedom of speech works.
However, when the government calls for a private citizen to lose their job because they criticised the government, that is chilling, and all Americans should be alarmed. Even if you agree that Hill should be fired for this, we have to put Sander’s statement through The Obama Smell Test: Just imagine how the Right would have reacted if the White House press secretary under Obama, in an official capacity, called for the firing of a private citizen for publically calling Obama a name. Just close your eyes and you can actually hear the Sean Hannity rant. And the kicker is he’d be right!
But second of all, SECOND OF ALL, here’s a tweet from another TV star calling the president a racist:
I’m not the first to say it, but there is literally a Trump tweet for every. single. occasion.
So, Ms. Sanders, are you suggesting that it’s a fireable offense for a private citizen to criticize the sitting president or are you suggesting that it’s only a fireable offense for a private citizen to criticize the president if that private citizen is a Black woman?
In other TV news
HBO’s programming president is claiming that Game of Thrones will film multiple endings to avoid spoilers but the kids over at Watchers on the Wall are calling bullshit on that, and they usually know what they’re talking about.
Hillary identifies with Cersei Lannister surprising neither her supporters nor her detractors.
Oh God, TMZ is giving The Mooch 15 more minutes.
OK, so this is pretty funny: last night’s South Park episode kept confusing people’s Amazon Echos and Google Homes, adding things to their shopping lists and making them say “BIG HAIRY BALLS.” But South Park also sent some fans free wings last night, so it’s all good.
The Emmys are this weekend and y’all know that Game of Thrones and Twin Peaks aren’t eligible this year, right?
Hey, The Hollywood Reporter enlisted a self-described “old white guy” Emmy voter and his choices are painfully obvious. Things he writes with a straight face:
- “What’s Obi-Wan’s name? [Ewan McGregor.] He was terrific! And I fell in love with Carrie Coon — she’s replaced Scarlett Johansson as my hall-pass with my wife, and she was just sensational.”
- “I’m very old-fashioned when it comes to comedies — I like them to be funny — and Atlanta is not funny. It’s very creative — I’m a big Donald Glover fan, I think he’s a huge talent and I wish that show nothing but success — but it isn’t funny, at least to an old white guy like me. I enjoy Master of None more in theory than I do in practice; it’s just a little too preachy and sanctimonious. Similar thing with Black-ish: it’s funny, but I always feel like I’m being scolded and educated, and while I don’t mind John Oliver educating me about obscure things, I don’t need that from a network comedy. It just got a little too up its own ass this year”
- “I enjoy Full Frontal and I feel like I have a duty to vote for it because the host [Samantha Bee] is a woman, but there’s a certain smugness about that show that doesn’t work for me. Bill Maher? I love that show [Real Time], and I’m tempted to vote for it just to push back against the oppressive political-correctness that he faced [after he used the N-word on one episode this season].”
- Top Chef? Is that the one with the cranky chef? [He’s referring to MasterChef’s Gordon Ramsay.] I don’t like him. Anyway, I’m a Food Network guy, so that [Bravo show] doesn’t work for me. Project Runway and RuPaul[’s Drag Race]? They’re a little too female, a little too gay for me.”
I can not with this man.
Dear Emmy Voter: here are 9 reasons why Atlanta should win Best Comedy this weekend.
Apparently, This is Us started off as a terrible-sounding movie script about secret octuplets. Yes, octuplets.
Marvel’s Inhumans has moved up from a 0 to a score of 7 on Rotten Tomatoes, thanks to one mildly-positive review. Oh, Inhumans.
Here’s a long hand-wringing piece worrying about whether Will & Grace will be inclusive enough.
22 million people will cut the cord in 2017, which is a lot of people! Meanwhile, NBC is all:
Olivia de Havilland’s lawsuit against FX about Feud has been moved up because she’s so very old.
Larry King will outlive all of us.
Renewals
- TBS has renewed People of Earth, Wrecked and The Guest Book.
- Netflix renewed Atypical for a second season.
Cancellations
In Development
- George R.R. Martin’s Nightflyers is a go at Syfy, surprising no one.
- We Can Do Better, a “woke” soccer mom comedy by Chris Lord and Phil Miller, is being developed by ABC.
- NBC is developing Sour Mash, a Latino family workplace comedy.
- CBS is developing Murder, a remake of a BBC miniseries.
- The CW is developing a series based on The Viagra Diaries.
- Starz has ordered Vida, a Latino drama.
- E! is turning One of Us is Lying into a series.
- Netflix has ordered Pine Gap, an Australian political thriller.
- Netflix has ordered British thriller Harlan Coban’s The Five.
- YouTube Red is developing Training Days, a docuseries about soccer.
Casting News
- Game of Thrones is casting season 8, and they are looking for two children.
- Keke Palmer is going from Scream Queens to Scream. She will be joined by RJ Cyler, Giorgia Whigham, Jessica Sula and Giullian Yao Gioiello.
- Bonnie Hunt is joining Escape from Dannemora.
- Trading Spaces is bringing back Genevieve Gorder, Carter Oosterhouse, Ty Pennington, Hildi Santo-Thomas, Doug Wilson, Vern Yip and previously announced host Paige Davis.
- Jemima Kirke is joining Maniac on Netflix.
- Alexandra Billings is joining Goliath for season two.
- Cecily Strong is going to appear on Great News this season.
- George Takei is going to guest star on Fresh Off the Boat.
- Greg Germann is going to guest star on Grey’s Anatomy.
- Chad Lowe is going to guest star on Supergirl.
- Riley Smith is joining Life Sentence on The CW.
- BBC’s drama Press has cast Charlotte Riley and Ben Chaplin.
- It’s only a rumor, but Hiroyuki Sanada might be joining Westworld.
R.I.P.
Frank Vincent, Sopranos actor
WATCH THIS
Better Things: “Sam has people over.” Well, that’s enlightening. 9 p.m., FX
Love Connection: Andy tries to set up a secret billionaire in the season finale. 8 p.m., Fox
Beat Shazam: Season finale. 7 p.m., FOX
Truth & Lies: The Murder of Laci Peterson: Hey, remember that murdering asshole Scott Peterson? Yeah. 8 p.m., ABC
Late Night: Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dr. Jane Goodall, Yo Gotti featuring Nicki Minaj Late Night with Seth Meyers: Jennifer Lawrence, Caitriona Balfe, Ezra Klein, Elaine Bradley The Late Late Show with James Corden: Steve Harvey, Jenna Fischer, Prettymuch Jimmy Kimmel Live: Stephen Colbert, Nina Dobrev, Dustin Lynch Conan: Katy Tur, Taylor Tomlinson The Daily Show: Jill Soloway Watch What Happens Live: Seth MacFarlane, Martha Stewart
| THURS | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Celebrity Family Feud (repeat) |
Truth & Lies: The Murder of Laci Peterson (new) |
| CBS | The Big Bang Theory (repeat) |
Mom (repeat) |
Big Brother (new) |
Zoo (new) |
| CW | Penn & Teller: Fool Us (new) |
Whose Line is it Anyway? (new) |
Whose Line is it Anyway? (repeat) |
News/Local |
| FOX | Beat Shazam (new) |
Love Connection (new) |
News/Local |
| NBC | NFL Football: Texans at Bengals (live) |