- 6 weeks ago
When art meets politics, controversy is inevitable! Join us as we count down our picks for entertainment that ruffled major political feathers. From suspended talk shows to hacked movie studios, these films and TV series dared to push boundaries and faced serious consequences. Which controversial creation do you think went too far?
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00:00Well, there's a swing here to the silly party, but how big a swing, I'm not gonna tell you."
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most controversial
00:07films and television series that did not go down well with the powers that be.
00:11Haters gonna hate, and haters gonna ain't.
00:16Number 10. Jimmy Kimmel Live
00:19It all started with the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk,
00:22who was fatally shot on September 10, 2025.
00:25We're still trying to wrap our heads around the senseless murder of the popular podcaster and
00:30conservative activist Charlie Kirk yesterday, whose death has amplified our anger, our differences.
00:36Kirk's untimely passing caused a massive public outcry, with the far-right rallying for revenge.
00:41Trump officials were reportedly deeply disgruntled by the loss, too.
00:45So, when Jimmy Kimmel went on his eponymous talk show to criticize what he perceived
00:49as the politicization of Kirk's death by the, quote,
00:52MAGA gang, it ruffled some feathers.
00:55We hit some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize
01:00this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,
01:03and doing everything they can to score political points from it.
01:07Jimmy Kimmel Live was promptly suspended by ABC and the Walt Disney Company.
01:11Needless to say, the decision was heavily protested.
01:14Late-night legends like David Letterman and Jay Leno, as well as actors Ben Stiller,
01:18Mark Ruffalo, and Wanda Sykes spoke out in support of Kimmel.
01:22And you can't go around firing somebody because you're fearful or trying to suck up
01:29to an authoritarian criminal administration in the Oval Office.
01:34The show ultimately returned on September 23rd.
01:37Number 9, The Last Temptation of Christ.
01:39You think God belongs only to you? He doesn't. God's an immortal spirit who belongs to everybody.
01:47The critically acclaimed film earned Martin Scorsese an Oscar nomination for Best Director.
01:51However, the general public's reaction was far from positive.
01:55The movie explores the life of Jesus Christ as he grapples with temptation.
01:59You're here to trick me.
02:01Trick you? To love and care for a woman to have a family. This is a trick.
02:08The plot is based on Nikos Kanzanzakis' novel, The Last Temptation of Christ, and not the Gospels,
02:13a fact made amply clear via a disclaimer in the film. However, many religious viewers deemed the
02:18content blasphemous. This resulted in major protests against Universal Studios and MCA,
02:24with many countries censoring or outright banning the film.
02:27You know, it's the perfect way to raise money. This film, Hollywood, is against our savior.
02:32We are protecting our savior. Please send us money.
02:35The St. Michel Cinema in Paris was attacked by an Integralist Catholic group
02:39during a showing of the film, and Scorsese faced threats on his life too.
02:42Decades have passed, but the film remains controversial.
02:45The reception to the picture, of course, was farcical and crazy, and so it became
02:51something that was very draining.
02:53Number eight, The Dick Cavett Show. The Jimmy Kimmel controversy wasn't the only time a talk
02:58show host ran into trouble over politics. In 1971, while the Vietnam War raged on,
03:03Dick Cavett hosted a heated debate about the conflict on his self-titled show,
03:07drawing then-US President Richard Nixon's ire.
03:10Since President Nixon has assumed office, we have dropped some 2,700,000 tons of bombs on Laos.
03:18He brought on John Kerry to present his anti-war stance,
03:21while war veteran Johnny O'Neill took the other side.
03:24Cavett also gave a platform to staunch anti-war activists,
03:27like Jane Fonda, John Lennon, and Stokely Carmichael.
03:31The Vietnamese people are saying, just as we did 200 years ago,
03:34we will control our destiny, we will own our own land, we will have our own government,
03:39and if it means dying in the process of getting it, we will die.
03:42It was later reported, upon the release of the Nixon White House tapes,
03:46that the former POTUS wanted to take Cavett down.
03:49The administration had apparently tried to silence him with tax audits on his staff, too,
03:53but ABC refused to be pressured.
03:54We know that one among the great unindicted co-conspirators' predilections was punishing
04:01people with the IRS, and I guess they did that to my staff.
04:05Number seven, South Park, bigger, longer, and uncut.
04:08This movie might not be appropriate for your little ones.
04:11Hey, he says this movie isn't appropriate for you.
04:13Look, Mr. Homeless Guy, if you don't want to buy us tickets, and not get your 10 bucks,
04:16and not go buy yourself a bottle of vodka, then be my guest.
04:18With a name like that, director Trey Parker wasn't even trying to be subtle.
04:22After all, subtlety is not a quality South Park is known for.
04:26So naturally, this film about Stan, Kyle, and Eric saving the world from Satan
04:30and Saddam Hussein's deadly grip while keeping war at bay is provocative, to say the least.
04:36Remember what the MPAA says, horrific, deplorable violence is okay,
04:41as long as people don't say any naughty words.
04:44That is what this war is all about.
04:47The comically profane satirization of censorship did not sit well with the Motion Picture Association
04:52of America, which repeatedly rated it NC-17 before settling on an R rating.
04:56Like many South Park episodes, life imitated art, and the backlash against the film mirrored the
05:01moral panic shown in it.
05:03We left in the scenes with Cartman's mom and the horse, as per our conversation.
05:10This is the one joke we would really like to fight for.
05:15Number 6
05:16The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
05:17What do you want to sing for us?
05:19Well, if I told you what it was, you'd probably say it was controversial and you wouldn't let me do it.
05:23The titular duo were television favorites when they were making the show.
05:26Young people loved the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour for its sharp social commentary
05:31and political satire.
05:32Not a phony.
05:33I have a responsibility to this show and to CBS.
05:37I have my integrity, and no phony tells me what to do.
05:40Besides, musical guests like Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, Joan Baez, and The Who drew high
05:46viewership as well.
05:47However, the show's irreverent and countercultural nature landed Tom and Dick Smothers in hot water
05:52with CBS executives, who felt it needed stricter censorship.
05:55We did it and did the show.
05:57They started complaining about the type of material we were doing,
06:00and there was no controversy in it except what they created.
06:03This resulted in the removal of segments deemed inappropriate by the network,
06:06which more often than not were political and expressed anti-war sentiments.
06:11This went on for a while, until the show was canceled in 1969.
06:14A lawsuit followed, with Tom and Dick claiming breach of contract, and CBS ended up paying damages.
06:20You were not canceled, as has become the trend.
06:22No, we were fired.
06:24Yeah.
06:24I mean, we left under duress.
06:26Yeah.
06:27No, I don't think it shows up now, but we did it now.
06:31We're more mature about it.
06:33Number five, JFK.
06:34The truth is the most important value we have, because if the truth does not endure,
06:40if the government murders truth, if we cannot respect the hearts of these people,
06:44then this is not the country in which I was born in, and it's certainly not the country that I want to die in.
06:49Legendary filmmaker Oliver Stone's political thriller enjoyed unprecedented success,
06:53both critically and commercially.
06:55JFK is based on two books, On the Trail of the Assassins and Crossfire, the plot that killed Kennedy.
07:01The film seems to suggest the involvement of high-ranking U.S. government officials,
07:05including Lyndon B. Johnson, who was the vice president during John F. Kennedy's presidential term,
07:10in his assassination.
07:11This was a military-style ambush from start to finish.
07:14This was a coup d'etat with Lyndon Johnson waiting in the wing.
07:17It set off a political storm, and the movie was accused of spreading misinformation.
07:21However, the backlash did nothing to curb its popularity.
07:25In fact, its impact was so widespread, the JFK Act was passed to prevent the proliferation of
07:30conspiracy theories by publicly releasing records related to the assassination.
07:34The CIA destroyed a lot of records related to President Kennedy's assassination.
07:38Number four, The Simpsons.
07:40Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect.
07:46What can you do?
07:48Some things will be dealt with at a later date.
07:50If we sat down to recount every single controversy this show has ever been embroiled in,
07:54we'd be here all day.
07:55The Simpsons, with his unfiltered satire of real-world political issues like immigration,
08:00LGBTQ plus rights, gun control, and substance use, humorously highlights the flaws in American society.
08:06Your taxes are high because of illegal immigrants.
08:10That's right, illegal immigrants.
08:12The Simpsons are wholesome in their own way, but they're far from a model family.
08:16Even ex-US President George H.W. Bush once denounced them in a speech,
08:20while praising another TV family, the Waltons, from the show of the same name.
08:24The Simpsons has also faced intense scrutiny overseas for their problematic portrayal of
08:28countries like Argentina, Australia, France, China, and Brazil.
08:33Has all this contention stopped the show?
08:34No, and it probably never will.
08:36Check out the rats.
08:37Ooh, they look like Skittles!
08:41Number 3.
08:42Borat.
08:43Sacha Baron Cohen is synonymous with this mockumentary.
08:46My name is Borat.
08:47I like you.
08:49I like sex.
08:51It's nice.
08:52The character of Borat Sagdiev, an unapologetically problematic reporter from Kazakhstan, rose to fame
08:58with The Da Ali G Show.
09:00In Borat, Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,
09:04the regressive journalist interviews real, unsuspecting Americans, often exposing their
09:09ignorance.
09:09Shave that dead-gum mustache off so you're not so conspicuous, so you look like maybe an Italian.
09:16Needless to say, when the movie came out, many of its participants pursued legal action against
09:20Cohen.
09:21The Kazakhstan government was deeply offended, but later embraced the film, while the majority
09:25of the Arab world — barring Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates — banned it.
09:29They got so angry that their prime minister, Premier Nachbarov, actually flew to Washington
09:36to complain to the American president.
09:38Even the European Center for Anti-Zeganism research denounced it,
09:41for seemingly defaming Romanis.
09:43Yet, the film was extremely successful and got a sequel called Borat's subsequent movie film.
09:48What should we do as scientists?
09:51Let's hear it for freedom to the bears!
09:54Number 2.
09:54Monty Python's Flying Circus.
09:56Hello, good evening, and welcome to another edition of Blood Devastation, Death, War,
10:00and Horror.
10:02And later on, we'll be talking to a man who does gardening.
10:05This series starring the Pythons concluded its run in 1974, but it remains one of the greatest
10:10sketch comedy shows of all time.
10:12It originated in the United Kingdom, but gained immense popularity across the pond as well,
10:16becoming a cornerstone of pop culture.
10:18You are Mary, Queen of Scots.
10:20I am.
10:23Fans enjoyed the show's absurd, yet intellectual brand of humor.
10:26It was a horror, which came mixed with a generous helping of slapstick.
10:29Ever so often, it would veer into political and religious territory, or the comedy would get
10:33too dark, prompting the BBC to tighten censorship.
10:36In Malaysia, the show was reportedly banned entirely, and so was the film,
10:41Monty Python's Life of Brian, on grounds of alleged blasphemy.
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11:07Number one, The Interview.
11:10To say the fallout of this film got out of hand would be an understatement.
11:14You know what's more destructive than a nuclear bomb?
11:18Words.
11:18Seth Rogen and James Franco play journalists set to interview the supreme leader of North Korea,
11:23Kim Jong-un.
11:24When the CIA recruits them for his assassination, chaos ensues.
11:28The movie is outrageous, over-the-top, and downright crude, but no one expected that it
11:42would lead to Sony Pictures Entertainment allegedly getting hacked in retaliation.
11:45These people are prodding and provoking Sony, and they're doing it deliberately.
11:51This is not the kind of thing where they just want to go in and steal some movies.
11:54They're trying to stick it to Sony.
11:56On top of that, movie theaters were reportedly threatened with terrorism just for showing it.
12:00As a result, the film was under-advertised and received limited screenings.
12:04Nevertheless, The Interview was a hit, especially in the digital rental and streaming spaces.
12:09We have not given in, we have persevered, and we have not backed down.
12:13Do you think any of these shows crossed the line?
12:15Tell us in the comments down below.
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