Throughout television history, there has been one genre of show that people have consistently turned to for comforting television, sitcoms. After all, most sitcoms are designed to be easily consumable shows that people can enjoy after turning their brains off. In fact, most sitcoms even include laugh tracks that tell viewers when they are supposed to laugh.
Even though sitcoms are supposed to be mindless entertainment, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be controversial at times. For example, there even were controversial The Big Bang Theory moments. However, when it came to light that the creator of The Goldbergs almost got himself canceled because of Donald Trump, that took everyone by surprise.
The Goldbergs Is Meant To Be Family Friendly Entertainment
Over the last few decades, a lot of people have argued that the world is in the midst of a golden age of television and it seems very clear they are right. After all, between the major networks, cable stations, and streaming services, more spectacular television is being produced than at any other time in the past.
One of the main reasons why there are so many great TV shows these days is that many series are willing to push the envelope. For example, Curb Your Enthusiasm has been one of the most creative shows on television due to its unorthodox writing and storylines. On the other hand, some modern shows intentionally feel like throwbacks to the classic style of sitcoms. For example, on top of starring in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Jeff Garlin also headlined the far more traditional sitcom The Goldbergs up until recently.
Focused on a dysfunctional family, The Goldbergs featured a slew of characters who habitually get into over-the-top arguments. However, by the time each episode of The Goldbergs ends, the show’s characters express their love for each other after one of them has an epiphany that allows them to open up. While there is little doubt that The Goldbergs is a formulaic show, it also is very comforting which is why nobody expected the series to be embroiled in controversy.
Why Donald Trump Almost Canceled Adam F. Goldberg
As fans of The Goldbergs will already know, the show is told through the eyes of the youngest member of the titular family, Adam Goldberg. The reason for that is the show was inspired by the real-life childhood of its creator who goes by the name Adam F. Goldberg professionally.
Since The Goldbergs is loosely based on his real life, the show’s fans have become interested in who Adam F. Goldberg is as a person which has made him more famous than most of his peers. On the bright side, the fame Goldberg enjoys has provided him with opportunities which is why he stepped down as The Goldbergs’ showrunner after its sixth season. On the other hand, many celebrities have learned that the spotlight can be very harsh including Goldberg who was at the center of controversy in 2019.
Ever since Donald Trump began his quest to succeed Barack Obama as President, he has arguably been the most divisive person in the world. As a result, anytime a celebrity criticizes Trump, people pay attention. For example, Trump and Alec Baldwin’s surprisingly personal feud has garnered a lot of headlines which has resulted in the actor garnering a lot of praise and hate.
In June 2017, a lot of people came to believe that The Goldbergs’ creator Adam F. Goldberg was criticizing Donald Trump which inspired a sizable backlash. When Goldberg was watching the comedy classic Spaceballs, he decided to Tweet about the movie’s fictional President Skroob. “My God, the President is completely and utterly broken! I can't tell you how disappointed I am. This isn't fixable, is it? #Skroob”
Evidently not familiar enough with the movie Spaceballs to identify the meaning of the Skroob hashtag, some Donald Trump supporters presumed Adam F. Goldberg was tweeting about him. In an attempt to clear things up, Goldberg responded to an angry commenter. “This has nothing to do with America. Skroob runs the universe. He doesn't want anyone to have a turn but him and his spaceball soldiers.” Sadly, that Tweet wasn’t enough to clear things up completely which is why Goldberg continued to Tweet direct references to Spaceballs’ plot.
In the string of Tweets that followed up on his original controversial post, Adam F. Goldberg referenced President Skroob stealing the air, running the universe, and Spaceballs being “a great 80s film”. Still not through, Goldberg wrote about turning on the TV to “literally” watch “a planet get destroyed by a giant vacuum”. Goldberg even went so far as to Tweet that he wasn’t talking about Trump without mentioning Donald by name. “I don't want anyone to stand with me about POTUS. This is ONLY about POTG (galaxy). Again. Just want to be clear here. #skroob”
Despite all of Adam F. Goldberg’s attempt to spell out the fact that he was writing about Spaceballs’ fictional President and not Donald Trump, some people didn’t get it. As a result, many people Tweeted about never watching The Goldbergs again and Adam F. Goldberg lost a notable amount of followers. However, things eventually blew over and the anger died down as people moved on which allowed Goldberg’s career to remain intact.
