No matter what side of the political spectrum you land on, there’s no denying that the recent election victory by Donald Trump has intensified racial and ethnic tensions within America. One outspoken group that has been empowered by Trump’s win is the alt-right movement. This controversial ideology has given rise to white nationalism throughout the country, and it’s even spread into Washington DC. This extreme right movement isn’t just confined to politics, it’s also rooted itself in the entertainment industry as well.
Last month, comedian Brett Gelman decided to leave the popular late night comedy network Adult Swim due to their support of the controversial alt-right show Million Dollar Extreme and the lack of female creators and writers on their staff. Now—perhaps in an attempt to save face— Adult Swim has decided to cancel the show after just one season. The show’s creator, Sam Hyde is a bona fide supporter of the alt-right movement, and his television show is known for taking those views to the extreme.
The show has been condemned by many for promoting racist, sexist, and bigoted views. For starters, Million Dollar Extreme sarcastically advertised itself with the tagline “Celebrate Diversity Every Friday at 12:15A ET”. In one episode, Hyde himself appears in blackface, which ensued with a three-minute rant in his version of black vernacular.
As diehard fans of Adult Swim, it pains us to say that the decision to cancel Million Dollar Extreme feels a bit insincere. While the approval of Hyde’s show was a factor in his decision to leave, he was also quite outspoken about the entire network’s lack of female writers and creators too. Regardless of the motive for the cancellation of Million Dollar Extreme, it seems that Adult Swim is realizing that even their outlandish humor has boundaries.
