Comedian Bill Maher’s “Kid and Play” segment on Friday went viral on social media after criticizing the children’s entertainment industry.
In Friday’s episode, Real Time with Bill MaherMaher reacted to the recently released documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TVexposed the sexual abuse and hostile work environment that child actors faced at the hands of adults at Nickelodeon.
The comedian posted a snippet of his show on Friday night with the caption, “Turns out it was ‘It’s a Small World’ for Hollywood Pedophiles,” and as of Saturday afternoon it had amassed 28.3 million viewers. The number of times the video was played was recorded. .
Ms Maher said she was “disgusted” by the revelations in the documentary, adding: “It not only exposes a dangerous workplace, it also exposes hypocrisy.”
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Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
He said Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was “intolerable to liberals on Nickelodeon when he said the exact same thing about Disney kids and creepy stuff, but he’s an idiot and a bigot.” “Why would a children’s content factory do something like this?” Is Disney really that different from Nickelodeon? ”
The company’s then-CEO Bob Chapek opposed a controversial bill known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law that would restrict certain instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida schools. In a legal feud with Disney that began with his public opposition, Mr. DeSantis accused Disney of: The company denied this, but added a large amount of “sexual elements to the program aimed at young children.” The legal dispute was settled in March.
Maher referenced a 2014 CNN article that reported that at least 35 Disney employees have been arrested for sex crimes against children since 2006, according to court records and other documents.
The comedian also mentioned Disney child star Alyson Stoner in 2021, saying: people Cole Sprouse said in an editorial in the magazine that she “nearly survived the pipeline from toddler to train wreck.” new york times In 2022, it was reported that young Disney Channel actresses were being “heavily sexualized.”
“DeSantis wasn’t wrong, but we’re so tribal now that the left will overlook child sex if someone from the wrong party denounces it,” Maher said. he said on his show.
newsweek Disney was contacted for comment via email.
Maher then launched into a broader discussion of American social issues, particularly gender identity.
“Wokeness is no longer an extension of liberalism; rather, it often takes something to the extreme and becomes the opposite,” the comedian said. “At some point, inclusion turns into promotion. And contrary to current progressive dogma, children are not miniatures of adults wise beyond their years, their fools.”
“They are gullible idiots who believe everything and just want to please adults and have no standards. That’s why they normalize whatever happens to them. That’s why 6-year-olds It’s not okay to talk endlessly about gender.” It’s not just inappropriate, it’s a trap according to the law. ”
newsweek Maher’s publicist was also contacted via email for comment.
Meanwhile, billionaire Elon Musk, who owns companies such as X, responded to Maher’s post, writing, “Wow, Bill Maher is spot on.”
Riley Gaines, a former competitive swimmer and outspoken critic of trans women in women’s sports, said: “This is one of the most powerful monologues we’ve ever seen. Liberal media and progressives… Watch me go after Bill Maher for daring to say this out loud.” , I have written.
X user Liz Churchill, a self-proclaimed conspiracy theorist with 416,100 followers, said: “I never thought Bill Maher would say there are a lot of pedophiles in Hollywood. Bill Maher was a conspiracy theorist.” Is it?” he wrote.
“Remember when we kept saying Hollywood and Disney were filled with a satanic child-molesting elite? Well, we were right (again). Here’s 8 minutes worth of receipts” Bill Maher,” wrote an X user who identified himself as “Concerned Citizen” with 294,100 followers.
Nickelodeon addressed allegations from Be quiet on set in a previous statement Newsweek.
“While we cannot confirm or deny allegations of conduct by a production company that date back decades, Nickelodeon, as a policy, is part of our efforts to promote a safe and professional work environment free of harassment and other inappropriate conduct.” As such, we investigate all formal complaints.
“Our top priority is the health and best interests of all children, as well as our employees, cast and staff, and we have worked hard over the years to ensure we meet our own high standards and safety standards. We have put in place a number of safety measures to meet our audience’s expectations.
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