NBC Slammed for Delaying a Documentary Until After the Election

The great documentarian Errol Morris had a new film in limited theaters this month based on Jacob Soboroff’s book, Separated: Inside an American Tragedy. Separated uses Morris’ typically stylish aesthetic to combine archival footage, interviews, dramatizations, and music to tell the story of the family separation policy from 2017 to 2018 under President Donald Trump’s administration, and the ramifications of it ever since. The film was set to be aired on television as well, with NBC News Studios co-producing it from the beginning, and MSNBC acquiring distribution rights. But instead of airing this pertinent documentary before the election, which has centered so much on the border, the executives at NBC postponed it.

Dec. 7 is the new premiere date for Separated, a decision which is being criticized by not only the filmmakers but other members of the media, even within NBC. See Morris’ latest post, from Oct. 5, 2024, below:

“While MSNBC boss Rashida Jones could have arguably found time to air the documentary sometime in October,” reporter Oliver Darcy (of Status) writes, “I’m told that NBC News boss Rebecca Blumenstein, who is still hoping to persuade Trump to participate in a debate, was opposed to airing the film until after the election.” Darcy continued:

“It goes without saying that airing a no-holds-barred documentary scrutinizing Trump would likely hinder the network’s chances at luring Trump onto its stage for an October face-off. (Stephen Labaton, head of communications at NBCU News Group, insisted to me on Monday that ‘the debate had nothing to do with the scheduling of this programming.’)”

MSNBC Films

Separated is hardly the only politically urgent work of art that the media has brushed to the side for political or backdoor reasons. There have been many attempt to sideline the recent film The Apprentice, starring Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump. ABC and CBS refused to air planned TV spots for the film during the various debates. Tom Ortenberg, the founder of the film’s distributor, Briarcliff Entertainment, stated:

The timidity and cowardice of those in the corridors of power in Hollywood never ceases to amaze. Despite all the obstacles thrown in our way, we are thrilled to be able to bring The Apprentice to theatres.

Related Sebastian Stan Calls Out ‘Hypocritical’ Donald Trump Over The Apprentice

Trump’s reaction to Ali Abbasi’s political biopic earned some harsh words from The Apprentice’s star.

That was just the tip of the iceberg for The Apprentice, with Donald Trump himself working to get the film shelved. Trump allegedly contacted Dan Snyder, backer of one of the financiers (Kinematics) of the film, to pull out, putting its theatrical distribution in question. Fortunately, things did work out, with the film being released Oct. 11, multiple weeks before the election. If only the same thing happened for Morris’ Separated.

Set during the early years of Trump’s business career, the film focuses on the relationship of Trump and Roy Cohn, a New York City prosecutor known for working with Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Second Red Scare.

Release Date October 11, 2024

Director Ali Abbasi

Cast Sebastian Stan , Jeremy Strong , Maria Bakalova , Emily Mitchell , Martin Donovan , Patch Darragh , Stuart Hughes , Eoin Duffy , Chloe Madison , Ben Sullivan , Mark Rendall , Joe Pingue , Catherine McNally , Charlie Carrick , Jim Monaco , Bruce Beaton , Ian D. Clark , Valerie O’Connor , James Madge , Ron Lea , Edie Inksetter , Michael Hough , Robert J. Tavenor , Raechel Fisher , Stefanie Martino , Randy Thomas , Myron Ron Reider , Sharon Wilcox

Runtime 123 Minutes

Writers Gabriel Sherman

Studio(s) Fabula Pictures

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