MSNBC recently acquired Errol Morris’ documentary “Separated,” a likely Oscar contender examining the Trump administration’s family separation policy. However, though the topic has significant relevance for the 2024 election, it won’t air on the cable news channel until a month after — in part because NBC bosses don’t want to offend Donald Trump, Oliver Darcy reported Monday.
NBC representatives didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap, but Stephen Labaton, NBCUniversal head of communications, said in a statement provided to Darcy, “the debate had nothing to do with the scheduling of this programming.”
The film is based on the 2020 nonfiction book “Separated: Inside an American Tragedy” by NBC reporter Jacob Soboroff, and NBC News Studios served as a producer. MSNBC acquired it on October 1, at which time it was also announced “Separated” will premiere on the liberal-leaning channel Dec. 7.
That rankled Morris, who suggested political considerations were behind that airdate in post on X, writing, “why is my movie not being shown on NBC prior to the election? It is not a partisan movie. It’s about a policy that was disgusting and should not be allowed to happen again. Make your own inferences.”
According to Darcy, Morris “isn’t exactly off base.” On Monday’s edition of his Status newsletter, he reported that Rebecca Blumenstein, president of editorial for NBC News, opposed airing “Separated” before the election because the network still hopes Trump will agree to another presidential debate.
And, Darcy continued, the December airdate has also frustrated NBC News and MSNBC staff.
Another NBC representative told Darcy, “We are proud of this film based on years of NBC News’ reporting on immigration policy and have supported it and embraced it from the ground up. We are fortunate that even amid this challenging documentary climate, we have been able to obtain significant visibility at two prestigious film festivals and now an expanding theatrical run, which qualifies it for major awards, including the Oscars, ahead of its television debut.”
“Separated” is a hybrid documentary/dramatization that looks in depth at Trump’s policy of forcibly separating asylum seeking migrant families who crossed the U.S. Mexico border. The policy formally ended when Joe Biden became president but as of March 2024, at least 2,000 children have not been reunited with their parents.
The film is currently on a week-long Oscar-qualifying theatrical run.
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