Free Republic

"Black-ish" creator Kenya Barris is the latest public figure refusing to be owned by our current political climate. Like Colin Kaepernick, he will not sacrifice his voice to conform to a system that caters to President Donald Trump and his supposedly profitable fan base. Barris recently told The Hollywood Reporter he is departing ABC, a network the magazine describes as led by executives "forthright about their desire for more red-state programming since Trump's win," for Netflix. Barris revealed that his last straw with ABC was the network's shelving -- and as the magazine adds, all but erasing from existence, with...

<p>Just before he recently departed ABC Studios to embark on a rich overall deal at Netflix, Black-ish creator Kenya Barris sold one last high-profile project to ABC: Bewitched, a single camera, interracial blended family comedy based on the popular 1960s sitcom of the same name. It took a little while for all the deals to close, but the network has given a pilot production commitment to the new take on the classic supernatural sitcom, from Barris and Black-ish writer/producer Yamara Taylor. The project hails from ABC Studios; Sony Pictures TV, which has the rights to the title; and Sony-based Davis Entertainment (The Blacklist).</p>

Judd Apatow continues to throw shade, shade, shade at Bill Cosby, months after the media firestorm over his rape allegations has subsided. Cosby, 77, is accused of sexually assaulting at least 40 women since the '60s. He has denied the allegations, which resurfaced last October, and has never been charged with a crime over them. He has meanwhile continued performing standup comedy. However, his onscreen career has stalled. The controversy had drawn a slew of mocking tweets and the star that appears to be the least relentless is Apatow, 47, who has often slammed him online. "I can't believe we...

Kenya Barris, creator of ABC’s “black-ish,” was motivated to write the comedy about an African-American family’s efforts to honor its heritage in part by the unreality of what he grew up watching on television. “I saw ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ and thought, ‘What part of New York is this?’” recalled Barris, who is black. “It’s not about being diverse. It’s about being true to the world.”His show comes 15 years after civil rights groups, galvanized by a lineup of new network series almost entirely devoid of minority characters, sought and ultimately won agreements from major broadcasters to put programs on the...