Staff Reports
Andrew Schulz’s recent interview with none other than former President Donald Trump turned into a real media sensation, racking up an impressive 4.7 million views. The episode aired on Schulz’s “Flagrant” podcast and had the internet buzzing with the kind of excitement usually reserved for cat videos and viral dance challenges. But what happened next was not so humorous: a venue that was set to host Schulz’s upcoming comedy special abruptly canceled the engagement just hours after the Trump episode aired.
While Schulz was careful to avoid drawing direct conclusions, the timing makes one wonder if the cancelation was more than mere coincidence. He had been all set to perform at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City, and just a day prior, everything was peachy keen. But as soon as Schulz unleashed that Trump interview on an unsuspecting public, venue leadership seemingly had a change of heart, deciding suddenly that BAM was not the right fit for Schulz’s show. The irony is palpable; it seems that in Hollywood, being associated with Trump is akin to being on a list of people to avoid at all costs.\
the @BAM_Brooklyn venue canceled @andrewschulz approved and booked special/production, because he interviewed a former president/current leading presidential candidate @realDonaldTrump
what a joke pic.twitter.com/f3fxYX81sa
— Neat (@NeatFT) October 16, 2024
During his latest episode, Schulz humorously suggested that maybe the venue should have waited just a bit longer to see the “liberal spin” that would inevitably follow the Trump interview. If they had, perhaps they could have rebranded him as a comedic leftist—a “hero” who bravely tackled the former Republican president. Of course, that’s unlikely, because comedy isn’t exactly thriving on that side of the aisle these days. It’s almost as if the venue thought it was going to get canceled for associating with him instead.
In a fiery moment on-screen, Schulz let loose, expressing his frustrations about the whole cancelation affair. The sentiment was echoed by his podcast producer, who speculated that this decision felt incredibly personal—betrayal at the hands of the cultural elites who love to kick conservative voices to the curb. With comedy increasingly becoming a battleground for political ideologies, it’s becoming clear that booking an entertainer in the current climate depends more on their political stance than their comedic chops.
As a humorous aside, one of Schulz’s co-hosts jokingly suggested that perhaps the road to redemption lay in a possible interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. After all, if he could get her on board, maybe the Brooklyn Academy of Music would try to win back Schulz. However, Schulz’s attempts to secure an interview fell on deaf ears, with Harris’s team showing anything but enthusiasm. All in all, it seems that in today’s world, a comedian’s willingness to host a former president may just land him in the cancellation crosshairs.
