2018's Biggest TV Controversies
The Simon Wiesenthal Center 2018 National Tribute Dinner, Inside, Los Angeles, USA - 22 Mar 2018
WANING MOONVES
Les Moonves was ousted from his 15-year position as chairman and CEO of CBS in Sept. 2018 after being hit with multiple sexual assault allegations. Moonves' wife Julie Chen stood by him, first by using her full married name on Big Brother, then by stepping down as a co-host of The Talk. Following an investigation, CBS concluded that there were "grounds to terminate for cause," adding that Moonves would not receive his $120 million severance.
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LETHAL BEHAVIOR
After being "disciplined several times over complaints of emotional abuse and creating a hostile environment," Lethal Weapon star Clayne Crawford was dropped from the Fox drama in May 2018. His character's death was confirmed in the show's third season premiere, which also introduced his replacement in the form of actor Seann William Scott. Crawford maintains that any talk of him yelling at children on set is a "blatant f–king lie."
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NO TOMORROW FOR MEGYN KELLY TODAY
Megyn Kelly's three-year, $69 million contract with NBC reached an early conclusion in Oct. 2018 when the anchor came under fire for not understanding why dressing in blackface for Halloween was considered offensive. Despite Kelly issuing an apology ("I realize now that such behavior is indeed wrong, and I am sorry"), her show — which was already being demolished by Live! With Kelly and Ryan in the ratings — was dropped from NBC's schedule. Though no official numbers have been announced, Kelly was reportedly close to negotiating a $30 million exit deal in November.
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NO-SEANNE
Despite Roseanne's wildly successful return to ABC, the revival was abruptly canceled in May 2018 when star Roseanne Barr tweeted a "joke" comparing former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett to the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes. In addition to blaming her tweet on Ambien — which even the company refuted — Barr also asserted, "I thought the bitch was white!" ABC ultimately decided to rebrand Roseanne as The Conners, killing off Barr's character (via an opioid overdose) in the series premiere.
31st Israel Film Festival Opening Night Gala, Los Angeles, USA - 05 Nov 2017
ARRESTING DEVELOPMENTS
Jeffrey Tambor perhaps thought he was out of the proverbial woods, after being fired from Transparent in February in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment. Months later, though, during a press junket for Arrested Development Season 5, Jessica Walter broke down in tears while revealing that she had been verbally harassed by Tambor while filming the Fox/Netflix comedy. ("[In] almost 60 years of working, I've never had anybody yell at me like that on a set," she said.) AD costars Jason Bateman, Tony Hale and David Cross each followed up with apologies after not better supporting Walters during her tragic confession.
Welcome Back, Dr. Bull
TAKING BULL BY THE HORNS
A third-party investigation into allegations made against CBS CEO Les Moonves brought to light a $9.5 million settlement that Eliza Dushku privately reached with the network after what was expected to be a years-long Bull run was cut short. On track to become a series regular in Season 2, Dushku reportedly had voiced to CBS and then Michael Weatherly himself her issues with the series lead's on-set behavior/inappropriate comments, after which she was abruptly written off the series.
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YA$, QUEEN
A royal rumble erupted after producers of Netflix's The Crown casually revealed at a March event that costar Matt Smith — due to his higher profile going in — was paid more than series lead Claire Foy, who played Queen Elizabeth II to his Prince Philip. Smith expressed his displeasure with the pay disparity and fully supported Foy, while producers reportedly "made amends" with its Emmy-, Golden Globe- and SAG Award-winning star.
AUGUST/BERLIN GROSS, ANTHONY ANDERSON
FOOL-ISH
Despite having seen the script before production even started, ABC decided not to air a Feb. 2018 episode of black-ish that dealt with the Black Lives Matter movement, yanking it from the schedule at the last minute. This created an environment that eventually led to series creator Kenya Barris abandoning ship for Netflix.
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HART OF THE MATTER
Shortly after Kevin Hart was announced as the host of the 2019 Academy Awards, homophobic tweets from the actor's past began to resurface, resulting in public outcry. According to Hart, the Academy then called with an ultimatum — apologize or be replaced — of which he chose the latter option. Hart's official stance is that he stepped down to avoid being a "distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists," adding, "I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past."
The Voice - Season 15
#ADAMSUCKS
Yes, that was an actual Twitter trend earlier this month when Adam Levine urged The Voice viewers to vote for Reagan Strange, despite her being too ill to sing that night — a major diss to DeAndre Nico, the other remaining member of Team Adam who was still able to perform. Though Levine never directly addressed the backlash, he told Reagan that he spoke with DeAndre and that "it's all good."