In today's climate of heightened scrutiny, many late-night moments from the past wouldn't survive. Join us as we examine the controversial segments that pushed boundaries! From Trevor Noah's Israel-Palestine commentary to Jon Stewart's Gitmo puppet and Samantha Bee's Ivanka takedown, these scandalous late show moments would likely face severe backlash in our current media landscape. Which controversial moment surprised you most?
00:00That our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on television.
00:08With the suspensions of late night shows being in the news as of late, temporary or not,
00:12a number of other talk shows could come under fire for similar or much bolder outspoken moments.
00:18The network will be ending the late show in May.
00:22And...
00:23Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:28And today, we're looking back at scandalous late show segments that would have likely triggered censorship
00:33or outright cancellation had they occurred amidst this uproarious climate.
00:37He's got no talent. Fallon has no talent. Kimmel has no talent. They're next. They're gonna be going.
00:42I hear they're gonna be going.
00:4573-year-old beef. The Daily Show.
00:48In 2021, during Trevor Noah's tenure at The Daily Show, he broached the topic of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
00:55Before even beginning the segment, Noah acknowledged the weight of the subject matter.
01:00Israel versus Palestine.
01:02And I know that even saying that sentence means I'm losing followers online
01:06and I'm on the verge of being blocked on all social media and in life.
01:10And his assessment was correct.
01:12Both sides immediately came down on him, urging him to take a firm stance,
01:16or at least not to downplay the severity of the events.
01:19And I know, I know that this is contentious.
01:22And I know that people are gonna hate me for this.
01:24Effectively, Noah was playing with loaded dynamite when he referred to the war as a, quote, beef.
01:30But Israel versus Palestine is a 73-year-old beef that has stumped everybody.
01:36And tried to highlight how both countries are culpable.
01:39If you start from Israel-fired rockets into Gaza, well then Israel is the bad guy,
01:45because they're bombing Gaza.
01:47But then you take a step back in time, you go, well, Hamas fired rockets at Israel.
01:52Well then Hamas is the bad guy.
01:53Rather than hearing his perspective, most only heard the perceived fallacies in his arguments.
01:59I know someone's gonna watch this and go like, oh, you're comparing Palestinians to children.
02:03No, I'm not doing that.
02:04I'm telling a story about myself.
02:06Honestly, I am.
02:07And so we can only imagine this sort of conversation today could have resulted in his show being suspended for, quote, misinformation.
02:19Bill Maher is no stranger to controversy, and neither is guest Milo Yiannopoulos.
02:24Always making excuses.
02:25No, no, no.
02:26I mean, not as bad as women, but no, I don't hire guests.
02:27But you know that's not, I mean, oh, there we go.
02:30In 2017, Maher had the political provocateur on his show to grill him on a number of subjects.
02:36Instead, he ended up rationalizing and even affirming some of Milo's beliefs.
02:40Women and girls should be protected from having people, men who are confused about their sexual identities in their bathrooms.
02:47That person.
02:47That's not unreasonable.
02:48That person who was.
02:50Meanwhile, a number of panelists clashed hard with the right-wing commentator.
02:54The argument is that these people are stupid.
02:56You didn't hear a word this man said early in this segment because he can talk circles around.
03:00You're a pathetic, douchey little ass for me.
03:03This was another case of, you just can't win.
03:08Maher received negative reactions from both sides of the political spectrum.
03:12For both platforming and finding common ground with someone the left deems alt-right.
03:17And for criticizing the man's conservative viewpoints after.
03:21You're a little broken and you're very wrong about certain things.
03:24In fact, the term Maher used to describe Milo was, quote,
03:27Emotionally needy and cult or wannabe.
03:30Misdiagnosis, Chelsea.
03:32During the pilot of a new segment, Chelsea Handler attempted to diagnose what she perceived
03:36to be wrong with Donald Trump.
03:38Amnesia characterized by the inability to recall memories.
03:43Like that time he forgot which country he bombed.
03:45During the biting report, she poked fun at his weight.
03:48Put them all together and this is what you get.
03:53Joked about a sexual relationship with Mike Pence.
03:56He screwed so many guys that Mike Pence is, well, jealous.
04:02Compared him to a monkey.
04:03And quite frankly, it's amazing I didn't see it before with my keen scientific eye.
04:12Referred to Putin as his alpha.
04:14They're able to temporarily behave themselves if the alpha male is present.
04:20And even came for his kids.
04:22His whole tribe is hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.
04:25This aired back in 2017.
04:28But based on Trump's outrage over the 2025 South Park scene that portrayed him sleeping
04:32with Satan.
04:33Hey, come on.
04:35You don't want me to bomb you like I did Iraq.
04:37I thought you just bombed Iraq.
04:39Iran, Iraq.
04:40What the hell's the difference?
04:41Relax, guy.
04:42It's hard to imagine this would have gone over well for Chelsea today.
04:46Gitmo.
04:47The Daily Show.
04:47While running a 2008 segment about the trial of several 9-11 hijackers, John Stewart brought
04:53out a puppet to demonstrate the controversy surrounding Guantanamo Bay.
04:57Only this character, named Gitmo, was just Elmo with a beard designed to look like a prisoner
05:02of war.
05:03Well, sounds like it's time for you to go back, Gitmo, to yourself.
05:08No!
05:10Stewart utilized Gitmo to comment on the terrible conditions at the detention camp and highlight
05:15the Obama administration's failed promise to shut it down.
05:18In order to make his point, he both waterboards Gitmo and feeds him to a dog.
05:23No!
05:24No!
05:25No!
05:25No!
05:25No!
05:25No!
05:25No!
05:26No!
05:26No!
05:26No!
05:26No!
05:26No!
05:27No!
05:27No!
05:27No!
05:28No!
05:28No!
05:29No!
05:29No!
05:30No!
05:30No!
05:31No!
05:32No!
05:33No!
05:34No!
05:35No!
05:36No!
05:37No!
05:38No!
05:39No!
05:40No!
05:41No!
05:42No!
05:43No!
05:44No!
05:45Also known as Gitmo, happens to be the name of the least popular Sesame Street Muppet ever.
05:50The Walk Off, The Tonight Show.
05:53It's ironic that we're talking about censorship of media now, because back in 1960s America,
05:58it was still very difficult to get away with the discussion of certain subject matters.
06:02Tonight Show host Jack Parr was aggravated that the network had censored one of his jokes
06:06in a prior broadcast.
06:07NBC is a little confused as to which clown cut that out of the show last night.
06:12They are not quite sure who did it.
06:15Those who saw it today, some people said they were quite surprised.
06:19And the whole thing has gotten out of hand.
06:21To stick it to them, he announced his departure and exited the stage at the top of the next taping.
06:26Jack?
06:26You know what I said?
06:27Jack?
06:28You know what I said?
06:31Ultimately, a deal was reached and he returned.
06:33However, it's unlikely such an anti-censorship stunt would have been received with an olive branch today.
06:39I believe my last words were that there must be a better way of making a living than this.
06:45Well, I have looked.
06:49Samantha Bee vs Ivanka Trump.
06:53Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.
06:55Now, Samantha Bee is already off the air, but if Full Frontal was still on today,
07:00this segment would have likely resulted in more calamity than a simple apology from Bee.
07:04I want this show to be challenging and I want it to be honest, but I never intended it to hurt anyone.
07:10Although the host had always been incredibly critical of the Trump administration,
07:14her 2018 attack on Ivanka crossed a number of lines.
07:18Amidst chatter about Trump's controversial immigration policies, Bee grew especially weary of Ivanka's apathy.
07:24You know, Ivanka, that's a beautiful photo of you and your child, but let me just say,
07:29one mother to another, do something about your dad's immigration practices, you feckless c**t.
07:36He listens to you.
07:39While the charged monologue was condemned by many.
07:41That's a C word. Incredibly offensive.
07:44It was also admired by some.
07:47Do you think she should be pulled off the air for?
07:48I don't. I don't. I just think that, you know, she's passionate.
07:52The reaction prompted Bee to apologize in a televised segment.
07:55I am. I'm really sorry that I said that word, but you know what? Civility is just nice words.
08:02Maybe we should all worry a little bit more about the niceness of our actions.
08:06Though in this modern era of censorship, Bee's tirade likely would have meant that she would no longer have a show to apologize on.
08:13Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
08:20You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
08:24If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
08:29Epstein files late night with Seth Meyers.
08:32After Jimmy Kimmel's suspension, Seth Meyers spoke out in defense of his fellow late show host.
08:37Trump promised to end government censorship and bring back free speech, and he's doing the opposite.
08:40And it has experts worried they were rapidly devolving into oppressive autocracy in the style of Russia or Hungary much faster than anyone could have predicted.
08:48Known for his sharp political analysis in Closer Look, Meyers has long harped on Trump's leadership and controversies.
08:54He said nicer things about a sex trafficker and a terrorist than his own supporters.
08:58Of course, he just thinks they're stupid because they don't have degrees in nuclear, chemical and math.
09:04His dissection of the Epstein scandal, and Trump's purported involvement, even drew ire from the president.
09:11All this was right there in plain sight, and MAGA brushed it off.
09:14Trump called Epstein a terrific guy, and Epstein himself said Trump was his closest friend for 10 years.
09:19On Truth Social, Trump called on NBC to cancel Meyers and Jimmy Fallon, referring to them as, quote, two total losers.
09:26This only lit Meyers' fuse, who fired back at these attacks on free speech.
09:31The Trump administration's crackdown on free speech has been so shocking and so chilling that prominent voices from across society, from Hollywood to foreign presidents, have spoken out and promised to investigate.
09:40What makes this entry fascinating is that this is happening today.
09:43With live rounds being exchanged back and forth, the battle between politicians, billionaire media conglomerates and late night talk show hosts only seems to be escalating.
09:53We must all stand up for the principles of free expression.
09:57There's a reason free speech is in the very First Amendment.
10:01It stands above all others.
10:02You might even say it's the ultimate.
10:04Have you been keeping up with the updates on the Jimmy Kimmel suspension scandal?
Be the first to comment