TV Industry Slams President Trump

I’m not sure why anyone would watch a televised awards show, and I wouldn’t have dreamed of seeing tonight’s Emmy show, which was advertised as a Trump hate-fest. The program is being hosted by Stephen Colbert, who has revived his career by doing pretty much nothing other than ripping the president.

Presumably you didn’t see it either, but the Associated Press’s account confirms that we didn’t miss anything:

“Saturday Night Live” was triumphing early at Sunday’s Emmy Awards for a season of skewering President Donald Trump, while the ceremony and host Stephen Colbert did likewise.

“I remember the first time we won this award,” creator Lorne Michaels said in accepting the show’s trophy for best variety sketch series. “It was after the first season in 1976. I remember thinking … this was the high point,” and there would never be “another season as crazy, as unpredictable, as frightening, as exhausting or as exhilarating. Turns out I was wrong.”

The trophies for best supporting comedy acting went to Kate McKinnon, who played Hillary Clinton on “SNL,” and Alec Baldwin for his Trump portrayal on the NBC show.

McKinnon thanked Clinton for her “grace and grit.” Baldwin spoke directly to Trump, who has complained in the past that he was cheated out of a trophy for hosting “Celebrity Apprentice”: “I suppose I should say at long last, Mr. President, here is your Emmy.”

Melissa McCarthy was honored at last weekend’s creative arts Emmys as best guest actress for her “SNL” work, including portraying Sean Spicer. The former White House press secretary made a surprise Emmys appearance, wheeling in his own podium.

“This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period. Both in person and around the world,” Spicer shouted with authority, echoing his claim that Trump’s inauguration crowd was the biggest ever and evoking McCarthy’s manic portrayal of him.

Colbert’s song-and-dance opening — with help from Chance the Rapper — included the song “Everything Is Better on TV,” which repeatedly slammed Trump, mentioning his ties to Russia and including the lyric “even treason is better on TV.”

John Lithgow, who received the best supporting drama actor for his role as British leader Winston Churchill in “The Crown,” took a more diplomatic approach to political commentary.

“Most of all I have to thank Winston Churchill. In these crazy times, his life, even as an old man, reminds us what courage and leadership in government really looks like,” Lithgow said.

It seems odd, but apparently the television industry is only interested in communicating with half of the American people.

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