Following the cancellation of Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace — a sketch comedy show popular with the alt-right — MDE co-founder Sam Hyde pinned part of the blame on fellow comedian Tim Heidecker. Heidecker, the creator of several popular shows on Adult Swim, was in the middle of a Facebook Live show when Hyde called up and interrogated him over the fate of MDE.

He accused Heidecker of wanting his show cancelled, of “campaign[ing] against” it, and of having been “pretty supportive of the effort” to get it pulled. However, as Heidecker pointed out, none of this was true.

Hyde remained indignant that his show may have been cancelled because he’s “racist” and appeared in a sketch wearing blackface — something that Sarah Silverman “does ten times a year.”

Actually, and episode of The Sarah Silverman Program (2007-2010) there was indeed a sketch in which the Jewish comedienne appeared in blackface. The context of the joke was that she and a black man would have themselves made over to experience what it’s like to be the other person.

Instead of a Black Like Me situation where a white writer darkened his skin temporarily to pass as African-American and record his treatment by whites in the South, Silverman ended up looking like a minstrel character. Ironically, the white people she interacted reacted with disgust because they assumed she was racist, not black. Silverman, of course, mistook their disparaging remarks as evidence of racism — thus learning a lesson anyway.

To her credit, the sketch was at least an attempt at lampooning ignorant white people who don’t believe racism is pervasive. Moreover, in retrospect, Silverman herself is on record calling the sketch regrettable.

I’ve transcribed relevant portions of the audio below.

Hyde: Didn’t you want the show cancelled?

Heidecker: I didn’t really have a strong feeling about it either way. The only shows I don’t want cancelled are my own.

Hyde: Didn’t you campaign against our show? Didn’t you talk to people and tell them you didn’t like the show?

Heidecker: No.

Hyde: You didn’t?

Heidecker: Sam, I’ve talked about this for the past three weeks and on the show. I’ve been very honest and forthright about my experience with the show and with your audience and that’s really all I have to say about it. I’ve been pretty straightforward about it. I’m sorry that impression exists online from a bunch of Reddit posts and fantasy —

Hyde: You’ve been pretty supportive of the effort to get the show pulled down. Because why? Because —

Heidecker: How so?

Hyde: — because I’m racist? Because I wore blackface which Sarah Silverman does ten times a year?

Heidecker: But there’s no evidence of me doing anything. What have I been doing? It’s all hearsay. It’s all innuendo and hearsay.

Hyde: I’ve heard reliable people say that you were instrumental. That Judd Apatow went to talk to Adult Swim to ask for it to be pulled down. You’ve been supportive —

Heidecker: You know the last time I talked with Judd Apatow was the Bridesmaids release party.

After Hyde’s call was accidentally dropped, he called back and resumed his allegations against Heidecker, declaring that, “I have heard that you campaigned to get our show taken off the air.”

“That is wrong, Sam, and listen to me: It is wrong,” Heidecker replied. He also pointed out that Hyde’s alt-right fan club had savagely attacked him and others online. Hyde protested, saying he wasn’t responsible for it.

“The coordinated attacks against you are a result of you expressing anti-Trump sentiments and expressing these egalitarian, all-inclusive open borders, and that has nothing to do with our show. That’s not related, so the hell that’s been brought screaming down upon your head has to do with your song ‘I Am A Cuck.’ It has nothing to do with me or my show.”

Heidecker noted that his (hilarious) song “I Am A Cuck” was actually written after months of online heckling.

Hyde continued ranting, however, repeatedly calling the situation “fucked up” and claiming he’s been “blacklisted.” “Dude, I can’t afford health insurance!” he shouted. “Get my show back!”

Hyde: I have heard that you campaigned to get our show taken off the air.

Heidecker: That is wrong, Sam, and listen to me: It is wrong. Now, like I have said on this show many times, I have expressed to people there and to people around me that I have been attacked online by people in your name. I don’t know if it’s you or whoever it is, but it’s people saying —

Hyde: It’s not me.

Heidecker: Okay, it’s not you, but it’s people over and over again, coordinated, consistent, nasty, violent —

Hyde: [laughter]

Heidecker: No, listen. Violent death threats — all that shit coming at me, and all I said — all I ever said to anybody about this subject — was “That audience is an issue.” That is an issue that [it] doesn’t seem to be dealing with, so…

Hyde: The coordinated attacks against you are a result of you expressing anti-Trump sentiments and expressing these egalitarian, all-inclusive open borders, and that has nothing to do with our show. That’s not related, so the hell that’s been brought screaming down upon your head has to do with your song “I Am A Cuck.” It has nothing to do with me or my show.

Heidecker: But Sam, that song was written after months and months of people calling me every name that I said in that song. That didn’t come out of nowhere, that’s just a reaction.

Hyde: That’s not my fault.

Heidecker: I’m not saying it’s your fault. And like I said, I’ve never said anything to the people that we both know [about] what they should do or what I’m going to do if they don’t do something. Do you understand?

Hyde: Right, well you stood by —

Heidecker: I only stand by my work and the work that we produce. Have you ever head me talk about Robot Chicken? Have you ever heard me talk about anything else?

Hyde: If one of my friends was actively campaigning to get a younger guy’s show taken off the air, I would tell him to chill out. I would say “That’s not the way to do it. Why are you [inaudible] cheating in the war of ideas?”

Heidecker:  The “war of ideas”…

Hyde: It’s like being a tattletale and not using ideas of thought to get your point across.

Heidecker: Okay.

Hyde: It’s kind of fucked up. It’s fucked up that my show was taken off, and our show was taken off because it was politically incorrect — something that would’ve flown, ten years ago it would’ve been fine.

Heidecker: Okay.

Hyde: It’s fucked up.

Heidecker: Well I’m sorry, dude. I’ve had shows cancelled. Everyone gets shows cancelled. You can feel bad about it, pick yourself up, and make new shit.

Hyde: I’m blacklisted. I’m not cancelled, I’m blacklisted. You know what that means, right?

Heidecker: Well, listen, this is not my fault. This is not my fault, Sam, okay? I had nothing to do with it.

Hyde: Well I hope you enjoy your life. [laughter]

Heidecker: Okay, I try to enjoy my [life]. You know, my back is killing me, I’ve — like I said — I’ve gained a lot of weight, my daughter has a cold right now. So I’m not walking on clouds everyday.

Hyde: Dude, I can’t afford health insurance! What the fuck are you talking about, your back hurts? Get my show back!