WGA backs Stephen Colbert against the FCC

Following last Monday’s monologue, Stephen Colbert’s come under fire from viewers and the FCC. The Late Show host responded early last week to the potshots the president took at Colbert’s CBS colleagues at Face The Nation with a fellatio joke that hasn’t gone down as smoothly as he probably anticipated. There were cries to #FireColbert coming from Trump supporters, who were posturing as LGBTQ advocates because they won’t abide any dick-sucking jokes about a man who’s bragged about sexual assault. Colbert later said he’d revise the joke so as not to offend LGBTQ folks. But that’s not enough for Trump appointee and head of the FCC, Ajit Pai, who said his organization would take “appropriate action” against Colbert: “We are going to take the facts that we find and we are going to apply the law as it’s been set out by the Supreme Court and other courts.”

That proposed censorship isn’t going to fly with the Writers Guild Of America, which has made a show of support for Colbert, Deadline reports. WGA East and West chiefs Michael Winship and Howard Rodman tell the publication they “were appalled” to learn that Pai was threatening to bring pressure to bear against the Late Show host for his monologue jokes. Here’s the rest of their statement:

Pai’s remarks are just the latest in a series of statements by the current administration indicating a willful disregard of the First Amendment. Colbert was poking fun at authority, a time-honored American tradition and an essential principle of democracy. What is obscene is not what Colbert said but any attempt by the government to stifle dissent and creativity. Our unions vehemently support Colbert and his writers and will fight for his or any individual’s right to publicly express his or her opinion of our elected officials.

The WGA had its hands full with other matters last week, narrowly avoiding a strike with a deal that’s now been put to members for ratification.