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Colbert's cancellation is a dark warning (www.motherjones.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by streetfestival@lemmy.ca to c/FuckTheUSA@lemmy.ca

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But Paramount’s future aside, the end of Colbert signals a dark new chapter in Trump’s authoritarian slide. Though his second term has already produced a string of stunning capitulations by some of the most powerful forces in the country, one could argue that Trump’s attacks had yet to take down our actual culture. I’m talking about the literal content we consume—the television, art, movies, literature, music—no matter how much Trump complained. That it remained protected and free-willed, a rare area of control for a public that otherwise feels powerless to take action. Clearly, that was magical thinking. If this can happen to Colbert and a storied franchise, this can happen to anyone.

The only upside is that Colbert will soon be free to go scorched earth against a president he detests. Every other network stands to gain enormously right now. Here’s to hoping a spine emerges.

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[–] streetfestival@lemmy.ca 13 points 2 weeks ago

Thanks! I wasn't aware

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_Center_for_the_Performing_Arts#Management:

On February 10, 2025, Trump named Richard Grenell to serve as interim executive director.[92][93] Trump criticized the center's drag and LGBTQ programming, vowing to be the one who decides what is to be performed in the venue.[94][95] He dismissed Board members and named his own who elected him as chair on February 12, 2025.[96][97][98] The center soon cancelled the national tour of the new children's musical Finn (which involves coming-of-age themes), with a Kennedy Center spokesperson calling it "a purely financial decision".[99] The public criticized the move as an attack on free speech and accessibility to the performing arts.[100] Celebrities who subsequently disassociated themselves from the Kennedy Center have included Rhiannon Giddens,[101] Issa Rae, Renée Fleming, Shonda Rhimes, and Ben Folds.[102] The musical Hamilton, play Eureka Day and various other shows and artists soon cancelled performances at the center.[103] After Yasmin Williams expressed concern about changes at the center, Grenell stated, "Every single person who cancelled a show did so because they couldn’t be in the presence of Republicans," and "I cut the DEI bullshit because we can’t afford to pay people for fringe and niche programming that the public won’t support".[104]