Shutterstock/NBC
Just hours after airing an incendiary Donald Trump campaign ad on Sunday Night Football last night, NBCUniversal has had a sharp change of heart – or at least discovered it might want to have a heart.
“After further review we recognize the insensitive nature of the ad and have decided to cease airing it across our properties as soon as possible,” said a spokesperson for the media giant in a statement Monday morning.
Airing on Sunday as the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers battled it out on SNF, the already controversial ad pounded on Trumps migrant caravan and fear of immigrants drum that the former Celebrity Apprentice host has been beating in the final days of the midterm elections. “Dangerous illegal criminals like cop killer Luis Bracamontes dont care about our laws,” the 30-second spot asserts, mixing a number of situations and facts, including that the Mexican man convicted of killing a duo of Sacramento sheriffs deputies four years ago has nothing to do with the distant caravan.
Already refused by CNN last week and widely viewed as a new low in an election season of new lows, the longer version of the ad first appeared on Trumps social media feed on Halloween. Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network have played the ad about 14 times in the last few days, and besides SNF, it showed up on the cable newser three times this morning. While the Jeff Zucker run CNN never aired the ad in it paid slots, it played audio from the Willie Horton redux effort several times editorially, as various anchors commented on the clearly distorted material.
The fact that the Comcast-owned net would take the ad and run it put more than a fright into a number of Hollywood players, with Judd Apatow and Will & Grace star Debra Messing chastising NBC.
“To our @willandgrace fans—I want you to know that I am ashamed that my network aired this disgusting racist ad,” the politically outspoken actor tweeted early this morning. “It is the antithesis of everything I personally believe in, and what, I believe, our show is all about. @nbc,” she added.
Saying “Thank you @nbc and @comcast,” this morning, Apatow ripped the net over airing the ad during the NFL flagship show:
It is not a freedom of speech issue. If an ad is a racist lie and incites violence and hatred the week after horrifying murders which were the result of the same racist lies they have the option to reject it like @cnn did. https://t.co/7jdjYkNBek
— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) November 5, 2018
Over the weekend CNN said that it had “made it abundantly clear in its editorial coverage that this ad is racist.” The cable newser that Trump slams incessantly as the megaphone of “Fake News” added that “When presented with an opportunity to be paid to take a version of this ad, we declined.”
Not mentioning the ad but pushing hard on the campaign trail before tomorrows vote, Trump himself turned to Twitter this morning to rail against his favorite media pinata:
So funny to see the CNN Fake Suppression Polls and false rhetoric. Watch for real results Tuesday. We are lucky CNNs ratings are so low. Dont fall for the Suppression Game. Go out & VOTE. Remember, we now have perhaps the greatest Economy (JOBS) in the history of our Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2018
A CNN spokesperson did not return request for comment over Trumps latest attack.
[contf]
[contfnew]
Deadline
[contfnewc]
[contfnewc]
