Conservative ‘That Show Tonight’ Latest Victim of Big Tech Censorship
TikTok erases sketch show's channel without explanation (sound familiar?)
Comedy shouldn’t be this hard in 2022.
We just watched one of stand-up’s biggest stars get slapped for telling the “wrong” joke during the 94th Oscars gala. That’s on top of the woke gestapo deciding how and why we can laugh.
Just ask Dave Chappelle.
Big Tech similarly threatens anyone who tells jokes outside the approved topic list.
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Comedians like Ryan Long and Tyler Fischer found this out the hard way. The same is true for The Babylon Bee, which faces the double threat of fabulist fact checks along with Big Tech censorship.
“That Show Tonight” is relatively new to the scene, but it swiftly joined the ranks of censorship victims. Why? Telling jokes about the current administration isn’t approved by the powers that be, according to the fledgling troupe.
The series, spearheaded by comedian Michael Loftus, offers right-leaning satire for those exhausted by mainstream comedy’s hard-left agenda. The showcase features stars like Jim Breuer and guitar slinger Brian Haner cracking wise about President Joe Biden, COVID-19 mandates and more.
The show’s TikTok account, launched in September, had more than 15K followers as of a few days ago. “That Show Tonight” clips generated “hundreds of thousands of views,” according to the show, including one video that boasted more than 400K views.
TikTok pulled down one video from the account, “Coma Man,” but quickly restored it following an appeal.
That was the only sign of trouble from the Chinese platform. No warnings, no clues that the channel ran afoul of TikTok culture. Nor did the comedy troupe post anything adult in nature, be it upsetting visuals or coarse language.
None of the above stopped TikTok from removing “That Show Tonight’s” account, presumably for good.
It isn’t the only Big Tech interference the group has endured.
A representative of the troupe says YouTube and Facebook routinely block attempts to boost content parodying the Biden administration or the Left in general.
The group tried to circumvent this by attempting to promote a video featuring sad puppies, as harmless a clip as one can imagine, to make a point.
That strategy worked, but it only highlighted the content discrimination it faces.
Right-leaning comedians can’t promote their work through the typical channels. Late night shows won’t let them grace their couches.
Publications such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter rarely give them precious space on their sites.
Social media can be the great equalizer, letting rebellious talent thrive without corporate filters. Digital stars like Tim Dillon, Tom MacDonald, Buddy Brown and Chrissie Mayr have done just that.
That’s increasingly not the case, though, and it’s not funny for comedians trying to survive in a biased media landscape.