Amy Schumer just canceled an interview with a Sinclair station. Will other celebs follow?

By Joe Berkowitz

06 April 2018

 

Last week, Deadspin published an alarming video that quickly went viral and had an explosive impact. The video showed anchors from local news stations owned by the Trump-friendly Sinclair Broadcast Group, all repeating the same scripted warning about bias in mainstream media. After spreading online for several days, the video picked up further steam when John Oliver aired a segment devoted to it on Last Week Tonight, perhaps inspiring Donald Trump’s tweet defending Sinclair the following morning.

In the days since, the focus on Sinclair has not diminished. The corporation has received negative publicity stemming from former employees as well as local news station employees who feel oppressed by Sinclair’s demands.

The next step in the rebellion against Sinclair, however, may be in the hands of celebrities. Amy Schumer was scheduled for an interview on an ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C., to promote her new film, I Feel Pretty. Once she found out the station was owned by Sinclair, she abruptly canceled. It’s not a trend yet, but perhaps more celebrities will soon follow suit, sending a message to Sinclair that will be hard to ignore.

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