“We have been devastated to learn that [NBCUniversal] has chosen to air President Trump’s town hall this Thursday night at 8 p.m., directly opposite Vice President Biden’s town hall,” the petition states. “This is not a partisan issue. This is about the political health of our democracy.

Trump and Biden were originally scheduled to take part in an in-person debate tonight, but Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis waylaid the event. When the Commission on Presidential Debates decided to make the event virtual, Trump declined to participate. Biden set up a town hall with ABC to replace the canceled debate. NBC later set up a town hall with Trump to air at the exact same time. Related ‘The Boys’ Vought International Debuts Homelander NFT Trading Cards to Spoof Donald Trump How Late-Night TV Torched Trump’s NFT Announcement Related 24 Famously Queer and Homoerotic Horror Movies, from ‘Psycho’ to ‘Hellraiser’ Oscars 2023: Best Original Score Predictions
“We believe this kind of indifference to the norms and rules of our democracy are what have brought our country to this perilous state,” the petition continues. “We are simply asking that NBC air the President’s town hall either before or after Vice President Biden’s so that American voters can have the opportunity to watch both. We understand the necessities of business, especially in this difficult time. But we believe there are larger issues of civic responsibility at stake here.” George Stephanopoulos is moderating ABC’s Biden town hall, while “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie is moderating NBC’s Trump town hall. Read the full protest letter below, courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter. To Brian Roberts, Jeff Shell and Cesar Conde: We are a group of writers, actors, directors and producers. Many of us have been lucky enough to work for NBCUniversal at some point in our careers. Some of us are currently employed at your studio. We have always thought of NBCUniversal as both a terrific creative home and a brand that stands for the best in entertainment and broadcast journalism. This is why we have been devastated to learn that you have chosen to air President Trump’s town hall this Thursday night at 8 p.m., directly opposite Vice President Biden’s town hall. This is not a partisan issue. This is about the political health of our democracy. President Trump refused to participate in the virtual debate scheduled for Thursday night by the Presidential Debate Commission. By agreeing to air his town hall as counterprogramming opposite Vice President Biden’s town hall on ABC, you are enabling the President’s bad behavior while undercutting the Presidential Debate Commission and doing a disservice to the American public.

We believe this kind of indifference to the norms and rules of our democracy are what have brought our country to this perilous state. We are simply asking that NBC air the President’s town hall either before or after Vice President Biden’s so that American voters can have the opportunity to watch both. We understand the necessities of business, especially in this difficult time. But we believe there are larger issues of civic responsibility at stake here. Signed… Aaron Sorkin Adam McKay Adam Scott Alex Barnow Allison Tolman Amy Lippman Amy Schumer Aubrey Plaza Ava DuVernay Ayelet Waldman Ben Stiller Billy Eichner Billy Porter Brendan Gall Chelsea Handler Chris Bishop Chris Meloni Chris Miller Chris Sullivan Chrissy Metz Courtney Kemp Dahvi Waller Damon Lindelof Dan Fogelman Daniel Hageman David A. Goodman David Guggenheim Debra Messing Ely Henry Emily Gordon Eric Guggeheim Greg Berlanti JJ Abrams Jason Moore Jennifer Yale Jill Knox Jim Parriott Joe Mantello Jon Cryer Jon Hamm Jon Huertas Josh Gad Josh Singer Julianne Moore Julie Plec Justin Hartley Keith Powell Kenya Barris Kevin Hageman Kumail Nanjiani Laeta Kalogridis Latoya Morgan Mandy Moore Marc Guggenheim Mariska Hargitay Marti Noxon Martin Gero Matthew Lopez Max Mutchnick Michael Chabon Michael Green Michele Fazekas Milo Ventimiglia Neal Baer Nicholas Stoller Nicole Yorkin Otmara Marrero Parvesh Cheena Patton Oswalt Phil Lord Preacher Lawson Robert Kirkman Ryan Murphy Samuel Baum Sarah Schechter Sarah Silverman Sarah Treem Seth Grahame-Smith Seth Rogen Shakina Nayfack Sophia Bush Sterling K. Brown Sunil Nayir Susan Kelechi Watson Tara Butters Terry Matalas Thor Freudenthal Tom McCarthy Tony Kushner Travis Beacham Vanessa Taylor Zoe Lister-Jones Ken Olin Abbi Jacobson Alison Janney David Kohan Robert King Malcolm Spellman Seth MacFarlane Marjorie David Donald Faison Chris Misiano David Goyer Julie Martin Joss Whedon Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.