Who is censoring Jamie Foxx?

Maybe, like me, you heard Bill Maher, on his HBO show this week, expressing outrage that "gatekeepers" were refusing to release a Jamie Foxx movie. 

As The Playlist puts it:

Initially scheduled for a February 16, 2018 release to coincide with that year’s NBA All-Star Game, “All-Star Weekend” has yet to make it into theaters..... 

In a recent interview with CinemaBlend, Foxx provided a brief, cryptic answer to the mystery. “Man, it’s been tough, with the lay of the land when it comes to comedy, man,” Foxx told CinemaBlend. “We’re trying to break open those sensitive corners where people go back to laughing again.” 

No word on what exactly “those sensitive corners” are in “All-Star Weekend,” but it may have something to do with Robert Downey Jr.’s role in the film. Much like his performance in 2008’s “Tropic Thunder,” where he donned black-face, Downey Jr. plays a Mexican in the unreleased movie.... 

Foxx talked about the film and Downey Jr.’s role in it back in 2017 during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.... "Robert Downey Jr. plays a Mexican. I called Robert and I said, ‘Listen, I need you to play a Mexican.’ He said, ‘Dude, here’s the deal. Sure. F*ck it. Sure. Why not? F*ck it. Sure. Of course. Mexican. Whatever.'” Downey Jr. did express reservations to Foxx about his role later on, though, as Foxx said that he got a text from Downey Jr. saying, “I’m afraid to play the Mexican.”... 

So, will “All-Star Weekend” ever see the light of day...? It doesn’t look likely, as the film had projected releases in 2019 and 2021, but at this point, it’s indefinitely shelved. Foxx keeps up high hopes for an eventual release, though, telling CinemaBlend that test audiences loved the film. “The one thing we kept hearing in the screenings was how much people were laughing,” he said. “So, hopefully, we’ll keep them laughing and run them into “All-Star Weekend,” because we were definitely going for it.”

So who's holding it back? Is it not Foxx himself? 

You may have noticed the Daily Beast headline, "B.J. Novak Shuts Down Bill Maher’s ‘Cancel Culture’ Nonsense":

“Lately we’ve been talking a lot about on this show—we’re gonna talk about it tonight—the freedom in the arts,” offered Maher.... “You know, you’ve written some episodes of… The Office which they don’t show now. I see Jamie Foxx’s new movie was shelved—I guess he made it a few years ago, but they’re not gonna ever show it. They make less comedies. I mean, you found a way to make a comedy about something, but I’m sure you have to be very careful about a lot of different things. They’re making less because it’s so not worth it to even try. Where are you on that?” 

Novak wasn’t so convinced of Maher’s theory. “I think there’s a difference between the gatekeepers and the audience—and I think you see this firsthand as a stand-up. The audiences, I think, are pretty down for everything,” he said. “They’re pretty smart people, and can be trusted a lot more than the gatekeepers sometimes worry. The gatekeepers are worried about the chatter in their own spheres, but I think audiences can be trusted to be pretty smart.” 

“But it’s not in the hands of the audience,” shot back Maher. 

“That’s what I’m saying,” replied Novak. “I’m saying, I don’t think the problem is that the audiences are too sensitive. I think the problem is that people are worried that other people are too sensitive.” ...

I don't see a big difference between what Bill Maher and B.J. Novak were saying. The gatekeepers are anticipating a reaction from some part of the audience, and they hold the product back because they don't want trouble. Even if most of the audience "can be trusted," there's still the vocal minority. You can certainly expect some outcry about Robert Downey Jr. playing a Mexican for laughs in a comedy. Even if most people would enjoy the fun and laugh at whatever he Downey Jr. came up with, you can trust — if you want to talk about trust — that they'll be plenty of offense and denouncements. And maybe it also just isn't a terribly good movie.

So who is sitting on it? "I see Jamie Foxx’s new movie was shelved," said Maher, using "was" to avoid saying who's doing the shelving. If Foxx — a supremely celebrated pop culture hero — is censored then everything and everyone can be censored... unless... it's Foxx himself who wants "All-Star Weekend" never to see the light of day.

Now, let's get back to Novak's big point: It's the gatekeepers. They're too timid, too easily rolled by an oversensitive subsection of the generally fun-loving and thick-skinned audience. Yes, but isn't Jamie Foxx the real gatekeeper here?

"Man, it’s been tough, with the lay of the land when it comes to comedy, man. We’re trying to break open those sensitive corners where people go back to laughing again.”

He's trying. But some sensitive corners are too sensitive to break open in this land of That's Not Funny.

ADDED: The headline at BET directly attributes the censorship to Foxx, in "Jamie Foxx Refuses To Release A Film He Directed Due To ‘Sensitive Corners’ Comedy Has In Place."

[One of the films stars Jeremy] Piven was a guest on Gary Owen’s show Get Some With Gary Owen and revealed the film will never be released due to Foxx “never” wanting to release it.

“It’s one of those things where Foxx is probably the most talented guy I’ve ever been around, known, heard of... He’s the funniest guy in the room. He can sing. There’s nothing Foxx can’t do. I had the time of my life… Foxx is really hard on himself. He’s one of these dudes, you know, he wants it to be perfect, so he’s been holding onto this thing for five years.”