Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., reversed positions on Kim Kardashian and her reality television co-stars in a moment of diplomacy Tuesday on the Hill.
During a panel discussion on how the freelance economy affects writers, Franken turned his attention to reality television. Though Franken defended the rights of reality TV writers to be considered as such and enjoy benefits and protections like their scripted counterparts, he couldn’t resist getting in a little dig at their unconventional craft.
“When I was writing, we did not have this reality TV,” the former “Saturday Night Live” writer said. He added, “I’m sorry that TV changed so much, and that the audience is watching these shows.” Perhaps thinking better of that statement, Franken, who was elected to his seat by a very narrow margin, hastily said that reality shows could be good.
“I have to be very diplomatic,” he said. “There are people who watch the Kardashians in Minnesota.”
Fellow panelist Lowell Peterson, director of the Writers Guild of America East, pointed out to Franken that the Kardashian clan is actually “pretty funny.” Franken admitted that he has yet to see “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” or any of its iterations and acknowledged that he should give it a chance.
“You cannot judge a show you haven’t seen,” he said, before leaving the panel for a Senate vote.
