The firing of Melanie Martinez, 34, marks the second PBS moral values scandal. The first was the censorship of the “Postcards from Buster” episode last year where Buster the Bunny, who regularly visits families in every episode, went to visit a family with two mommies. Previous families featured in “Postcards” episodes have included Mormons, Hmong and Pentecostal Christians.
Melanie Martinez was fired from her position as host of PBS KIDS Sprout’s “The Good Night Show” because she appeared in two 30-second online films when she was 27, “Technical Virgin” and “Boys Can Wait,” that spoofed abstinence-only education. The PBS ombudsman dedicated two of his columns to voice his opposition to the firing of Melanie, but her job wasn’t saved. Melanie says there is no lawsuit in sight.
Read Celina of Feministing’s interview with Melanie Martinez. While George Carlin can mock Christians on HBO and then go do Sesame Street, a relatively young women cannot mock abstinence education and retain her job as a children’s show host. Seems like a double standard to me.
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7 FREAKIN’ YEARS AGO?
Hell, Clinton was still in office then!!!
Rush is a drug addict and keeps his gig — O’Reilly confuses loofahs with falafels and his ratings soar (temporarily)…but appear in a couple of satirical movies that the kids watching your show will likely never see (at least they won’t till they’re too old to watch your show), and you get canned.
Maybe she should take a page from the Republicans handbook — first go with Orrin Hatch’s “youthful indiscretions”, then pull out the Foley, “I was drunk” card.
There must have been some other reason they wanted to ditch her — but to pull this out is disgusting. Can’t wait till we get some sanity back into this society and we can get rid of all the right-wing talking heads for their sins against honest thinking…
It’s called sex discrimination. Men are respected for their assertiveness, while women have bad attitudes.
Boys Can Wait
those are freakin’ hilarious!
And the “Boys Can Wait” has a hint of truth… 🙂
Glad to read in the interview that she’s not ashamed of her work — I hope this might lead to bigger and better things for her than hosting a kids’ show. (Put her on an episode of “Law & Order” or something — hell, Steve from “Blue’s Clues” did one after he left that show…)
but why can’t there be something for Girls Can Wait?
Melanie Martinez was fired from her position as host of PBS KIDS Sprout’s “The Good Night Show” because she appeared in two 30-second online films…
That’s a big price to pay for a minute of one’s life. But no matter how long one spends on personal pursuits, there is now an active purging of oppositional activists. You’re either with us or you’re against us.
Punish the women.
Thank God we don’t have a taliban here.
This firing was unjustifiable and if I were here I would definitely sue. I can say that 100% of kids who watch the show are oblivious to the videos, so it can’t possibly be hurting the kids. Her shtick on the show (I’ve seen it more than I care to admit) is 100% wholesome goodness. She is saccarine sweet.
The content of the videos she made before she worked for Sprout is immaterial. She could have done hardcore porn for all I care (and my kid watches here show). Melanie Martinez is an actress and mother who was victim of a fascist purge.
My two-year-old even asks about her now that she’s gone. We used to snuggle up to the “Good Night Show” and “Miss Mellie” right before bedtime. The firing is beyond ridiculous.