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A documentary exposing the Trump administration’s controversial family separation policy will not air before the upcoming election, allegedly to avoid offending Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee. According to recent reports, MSNBC has decided to hold back the broadcast of Errol Morris’ documentary, based on Jacob Soboroff’s 2020 book Separated: Inside an American Tragedy, until December 7—after Election Day.
Journalist Oliver Darcy, a former CNN media critic, revealed the decision on Tuesday, which appears to have frustrated the film’s director. Morris took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his disappointment, stating, “Why is my movie not being shown on NBC prior to the election? It’s about a policy that was disgusting and should not be allowed to happen again. Make your own inferences.”
Darcy’s report indicated that MSNBC executives were initially enthusiastic about the documentary, even viewing it as a potential Oscar contender. He noted that NBCUniversal (NBCU) had plans for Rachel Maddow to host an hour-long special promoting the documentary prior to its network debut. However, despite this early support, company leadership made the surprising decision to withhold the documentary from airing until after the November election.
Darcy also pointed out that, according to a report from The Wrap, MSN executives may have made the choice to avoid upsetting Trump in the hopes of securing his participation in another presidential debate. “NBC bosses don’t want to offend Donald Trump,” Darcy reported, referencing insiders at the network.
Rebecca Blumenstein, president of editorial for NBC News, allegedly opposed airing Separated before the election due to concerns about the network’s relationship with Trump. Her reasoning, reportedly, was that the network still hoped the former president would agree to participate in one more presidential debate before Election Day.
However, NBCUniversal’s vice president of communications, Stephen Labaton, denied that the network’s debate negotiations with Trump influenced the decision to delay the documentary’s release. “The debate had nothing to do with the scheduling of this programming,” Labaton told Vanity Fair in a statement, pushing back on claims that the decision was politically motivated.
While some speculate the delay may be an effort to avoid controversy, the timing of the documentary’s release remains a contentious topic, especially given the public’s interest in the Trump administration’s family separation policy and its lasting impact on immigrant families.
For now, viewers will have to wait until after the election to see the documentary, leaving many wondering about the broader implications of its delay in the political context.
