During an interview broadcast today on NPR's Fresh Air, Simpsons creator Matt Groening revealed that the Fox News Network had threatened to sue The Simpsons over a parody of the right-leaning news channel. The highly sensitive news organization, which is headed by Roger Ailes, made headlines this summer with an ill-starred lawsuit against humorist Al Franken's book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. The Fox suit was thrown out in court and only succeeded in making Franken's book a bestseller. According to Groening, the Simpsons team refused to cut out the segment, which Groening told Fresh Air he 'really liked,' figuring that Rupert Murdoch wouldn't allow the Fox News cable network to sue the Fox Broadcast Network, which carries The Simpsons. The Fox News Network did back down on its threat, although it has told The Simpsons creators that in the future, cartoon series will not be allowed to include a 'news crawl' along the bottom of the screen, which might 'confuse the viewers.'
Over a Parody Segment
Posted by ICv2 on October 23, 2003 @ 11:00 pm CT
MORE SHOWBIZ
Slott's First Ongoing DC Series to Be Part of 'Summer of Superman' Initiative
January 16, 2025
The new series, Slott’s first ongoing series for DC, will anchor their “Summer of Superman” All In initiative.
Behind Growth in Comics and Comic Art, Sports, and Entertainment
January 14, 2025
Heritage Auctions set a new record for total sales in 2024, behind strong sales in Comics and Comic Art, Sports, and Entertainment.
MORE COMICS
Familiar Favorites Fill the Charts
January 20, 2025
Shoppers stuck with familiar properties in December.
Sales Drop, Best-Sellers Hit Harder
January 20, 2025
Sales were down across all three categories, compared to December 2023, with big dips at the top of the charts.