Judd Apatow is railing against Fox News and its parent company for their hosts' support of President Donald Trump's zero tolerance immigration policy.
Linking to a Fox News segment about the Trump administration's separating of migrant children from their parents, Apatow directly criticized Rupert Murdoch and his family.
The MURDOCH family is part of this torturing of children. They own the propaganda machine. Fox stars and show runners should speak up! Journalists and athletes should speak up! Maybe their executives should speak up! @SethMacFarlane can’t be the only one with a conscience. https://t.co/gmXSfJUROb
Many Fox News commentators have also vocally supported the president's policies, including Laura Ingraham, who compared the facilities where migrant children are being kept to "summer camps." Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy has also publicly sown doubt about whether the children are being held in cages.
Before Apatow's comments, Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy, which has run on Fox since its inception in 1999, said he was "embarrassed to work for this company" after Fox News' Tucker Carlson seemingly tried to dissuade viewers from questioning the network's coverage of the president's policies.
In other words, don’t think critically, don’t consult multiple news sources, and in general, don’t use your brain. Just blindly obey Fox News. This is fringe shit, and it’s business like this that makes me embarrassed to work for this company. https://t.co/kC7MPYxdgZ
MacFarlane followed up his comments with a $2 million donation to National Public Radio and a $500,000 donation to NPR affiliate KPCC, a NPR spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.
“We are thankful to all who support quality, independent journalism," NPR spokesperson Isabel Lara said in a statement emailed to BuzzFeed News. "We are deeply appreciative of the generous gift from Seth MacFarlane, which will go to supporting local news coverage, allowing NPR and Member stations to continue working together to tell the story of the whole country from everywhere in the country.”
Michael Tammero, an entertainment reporter who serves as senior vice president of Fox News and Fox Business, responded to MacFarlane, saying, "Yet...NOT quite embarrassed enough to not cash that check ... isn't that right?"
Yet... NOT quite embarrassed enough to not cash that check ... isn’t that right @sethmacfarlane ? https://t.co/xPcXApmEYj
But MacFarlane's sentiments resonated with Steve Levitan, the co-creator of ABC's Modern Family, a show that's produced by 20th Century Fox Television. Levitan said he was "disgusted to work at a company that has anything whatsoever to do with Fox News."
Let me officially join @SethMacFarlane in saying I’m disgusted to work at a company that has anything whatsoever to do with @FoxNews. This bullshit is the opposite of what #ModernFamily stands for. https://t.co/dnvIbgoIyA
John Ross Bowie, who stars on the 20th Century Fox-produced Speechless on ABC, also denounced the company.
Hi! I work for Fox and Tucker is completely full of shit. To whom do I complain? https://t.co/JppobxXZEE
On Tuesday, Apatow then called for more people to do the same.
Way to go Steve. Who’s next? It’s important to speak up when your boss is the propaganda arm which promotes putting children in cages and holding them hostage so Trump can build a wall. What other stars, showrunners or executives from Fox will speak up against this madness? https://t.co/mXukluuPgl
Bridesmaids director Paul Feig then added his voice.
I have made two films for 20th Century Fox and love the people in the movie and TV divisions. But I too cannot condone the support their news division promotes toward the immoral and abusive policies and actions taken by this current administration toward immigrant children. https://t.co/6JqIQPjepV
As did Adam Scott, who stars on Fox's Ghosted.
As a FOX employee I’m disgusted by @FoxNews and their support for & blatant lying about state-sponsored child abuse. https://t.co/r6gkqHQDzq
Apatow said Murdoch had the power to "change this conversation."
If as an editorial policy @FoxNews said it was wrong to hold children hostage to get a wall Trump would adjust his approach to this issue. There is no doubt the Murdoch family has the power to change this conversation. https://t.co/arbHTSDKQF
Murdoch, the executive chair of 21st Century Fox, is known to be a close confidante of the president.
Hundreds of immigrant children have been separated from their families since the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy was enacted. More than 2,300 children have been taken from adults since April.
The president has incorrectly stated that his administration's policy was created by Democrats, and he doubled down on this falsehood Monday morning in a tweet.
The policy has been condemned by Democrats and Republicans alike. All four living former first ladies — Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Rosalynn Carter — have denounced the policy, which Bush described as "cruel" and "immoral."
Apatow himself used to work with Fox back in 2002 on the short-lived show Undeclared, but it seems like he won't be returning. "That family promotes evil ideas and greed and corruption," he tweeted.
I haven’t worked with Fox since 2002. That family promotes evil ideas and greed and corruption. We all choose who to work with. I understand why that is easier for some than others but many powerful people are powerful enough to speak up to their bosses at a moment like this. https://t.co/8NtsqsR8Xj