Andor writer Dan Gilroy won an Emmy last weekend for the Season 2 episode called ‘Welcome to the Rebellion,’ which features Mon Mothma’s anti-fascism speech to the Senate [watch it below]. His Disney+ series was a big topic Thursday at Disney HQ in Burbank, where the Writers and Actors guilds protested the company’s choice to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live after warnings from the FCC and major station groups over his Charlie Kirk comments.
Did you even watch Andor? and This is literally what your show Andor is about.
Some writers held signs saying
As one of the writers on the Disney+ drama Andor, we spent six years thinking about a fascist takeover of a galaxy far, far away. Six years thinking about ordinary beings as an authoritarian regime closes in. Many people noticed links between Andor and the real world. I see them too, especially after the events of the past week. Donald Trump’s tools of governance, coercion and intimidation have now targeted Hollywood.
Facing a storm on social media, fear, and an FCC head warning “they can do this the easy way or hard way,” Disney suspended Jimmy Kimmel for speaking his mind. I strongly disagree but know it was a tough decision. If you think otherwise, wait until fate knocks on your door and forces you to choose between conscience and hardship — because if you work in this industry that day is coming. The suspension bought some time, but not much.
Disney now stands at a crossroads: end Kimmel’s contract and become pavement for the road to a brave new Trumpian world; or defend the First Amendment and face the attack. There’s not much at stake, just free speech, the oxygen that keeps this town alive.
Trump’s goal is to control what we create and say. That idea might seem distant and vague. It’s not. Is it hard to imagine a new oversight office or cabinet seat? Is it difficult to picture Trump allies arriving at LAX with binders of banned topics and required alternatives? You’ll see them when you need to pitch for approval or get questioned about subversive co-workers.
No matter how the jack-booted attack on Jimmy Kimmel ends, this isn’t a small fight. It’s a siege. The first thing Putin did after gaining power was shut down shows that criticized him. Artists are silenced first because they are feared most. The fact this isn’t new doesn’t lessen the shock of these last few days. Most people in Hollywood thought their job was just entertainment — the brave ones tried to add theme and commentary — but for everyone this has suddenly become Westworld real.
Whether you’re reading this in line at Blue Bottle, killing time before your 3 o’clock Zoom, or staring at a glowing screen unable to sleep, we have all become characters in a story where our actions truly matter. Our industry faces the most skilled, poisonous, creeping evil in America’s history.
There’s no standing above this fight. No neutral watchers. If you stay on the sidelines you’ve made a choice and must live with it. Their goal is to spread fear, to make you feel helpless and hopeless, to break you. Don’t let them. Learn. Organize. Speak truth to power. Because the story isn’t finished — the pen is in your hand.
Source: Deadline