Do You Remember These Recent TV Controversies?

Since television has solidified itself as the predominant medium for popular culture, the inner machinations of its production have increasingly become a point of interest for the public. Like any workplace, small screen sets can quickly become rife with gossip and feuds as dueling egos battle it out behind the scenes, sometimes mirroring or even altering the on-screen drama being produced. Following the conclusion of the WGA Strike, and seeing talks resume between the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA, power dynamics in Hollywood are seemingly beginning to shift. As we enter a new era of increased transparency and total professional equity, will television evolve with the rest of culture or remain steadfast in its antiquated modus operandi?

Barbie Ferreira leaves Euphoria

When the second season of HBO’s Euphoria premiered in January 2022, Ferreira’s character Kat, a wallflower turned digital dominatrix, had a suspiciously diminished screen presence in contrast to the show’s breakout first season. Fans began speculating on the reason for Ferreira’s noted absence as rumors of an alleged feud between the actress and showrunner Sam Levinson began to emerge. Ferreira later clarified the reason for her departure on Dax Shepard’s podcast Armchair Expert, telling Shepard and co host Monica Padman that her departure was a mutual decision by her and Levinson, stating she “wanted to be able to not be the fat best friend.”

Jen Shah from RHOSLC is sentenced to prison

The reality star was sentenced to 6 and 1/2 years in prison in January 2023 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for her role in a decade-long telemarketing scheme. Shah initially pleaded not guilty, but changed her plea after accepting a deal from prosecutors. Shah was made to forfeit more than $6 million, almost 40 luxury items (and 78 counterfeits), and agreed to pay $9.5 million in restitution to victims as part of her agreement with prosecutors. Shah reported to a federal detention facility in Bryan, Texas earlier this year where she has reportedly befriended former tech mogul and noted charlatan Elizabeth Holmes.

Vanderpump Rules’ Tom Sandoval and Racquel Leviss’s affair (a.k.a. “Scandoval”)

The infidelity imbroglio better known as “Scandoval” was precisely the kind of lurid bombshell reality television fanatics yearn for. Much of the show’s tenth season focused on the affair longtime cast member Tom Sandoval engaged in with fellow cast mate, Racquel Leviss, the former best friend of Sandoval’s girlfriend of nearly a decade, Ariana Madix. When Leviss and Sandoval’s months-long affair was revealed, Madix dumped both Leviss and Sandoval, and a vitriolic hate campaign by fans grew, which primarily targeted Leviss. The salacious situation revived the show’s popularity following years of declining ratings, even helping the reality program gain its first Emmy nominations.

Drew Barrymore crosses the picket line

After Barrymore announced her syndicated talk show The Drew Barrymore Show would be returning to production amidst a contentious Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, she was met with widespread backlash resulting in her show being picketed by strikers. The actress soon relented. and shut down plans to air episodes without the help of guild writers. Ironically, the WGA strike ended just days after Barrymore retracted her intention for the show to resume production, but the damage had already been done and three of Barrymore’s WGA writers (Cristina Kinon, Chelsea White, and Liz Koe) have declined to return to the show.

Everything surrounding The Idol

In June 2021, HBO announced Lily Rose-Depp and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye would star in The Idol, a purportedly dark and edgy new series from Euphoria mastermind Sam Levinson. The series centers on Jocelyn (Depp), a budding pop star coming off the heels of a nervous breakdown, who falls into a sadomasochistic relationship with a mysterious club owner, Tedros (Tesfaye). HBO announced the show would be given a creative overhaul in April 2022 after the series original director, Amy Seimetz, left production. Sources alleged higher ups in production (namely Tesfaye) were unhappy with the female-centered narrative Steinmetz was crafting and scrapped most of her work. The end product was an unexciting exploration of male navel gazing devoid of much substance, and was unsurprisingly canceled after one season.

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’s exploitation of Dahmer’s real life victims

Following the life of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, Monster is a true crime anthology series from American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy. Starring Evan Peters as Dahmer, the series was a huge commercial success but received mixed reactions from critics. Despite Peter’s performance receiving rave reviews, many cited the show’s depiction of Dahmer’s actions as exploitative and insensitive to the families of the killer's victims. Murphy’s series reignited the conversation surrounding ethics within true crime television, films, and podcasts, leading some fans to reevaluate the moral and ethical ramifications that engaging with true crime content can raise. Despite this, Monster was greenlit for a second season, this time centering on Lyle and Erik Menéndez’s 1996 murder of their parents.

Hulu’s Pam & Tommy is blasted by Pamela Anderson

The 2022 miniseries claims to chronicle the turbulent marriage between actress Pamela Anderson and drummer Tommy Lee when their sex tape was stolen and leaked in 1995. Anderson refused to consult with show-runners to craft the series and stated on multiple occasions she had no intention of ever watching the show. Despite expressing a clear disdain for the show’s producers, the Baywatch actress has stated she holds no ill will against Lily James, who played her in the show. While Anderson repeatedly asked producers not to move forward with the show, Tommy Lee reportedly approved, even praising actor Sebastian Stan for his portrayal of him. Despite boundless critical claim and awards nominations, Anderson’s clear discomfort with the series subject matter and reticence to revisit this part of her past sours the viewing experience for many.

Don Lemon is fired by CNN

In April 2023, longtime anchor Don Lemon was fired by CNN after controversy stemming from comments he’d made in February about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, which were widely viewed as misogynistic. After the former United Nations ambassador suggested mental competency tests be mandated for politicians over the age of 75, Lemon stated Haley herself was not “in her prime” and “a woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.” A few months later, Variety published a report alleging several instances of sexist behavior by Lemon against female colleagues going back a decade.

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