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Olivia Munn Blames the Ex Writer of 'The Newsroom' For The Rape Storyline Controversy

By Dustin Rowles | Industry | December 12, 2014 |

By Dustin Rowles | Industry | December 12, 2014 |

Determining where to stand regarding Olivia’s Munn’s dig against the female writer on The Newsroom who called out Aaron Sorkin is kind of like dropping a bomb into the death star. It’s a very tiny window of acceptability.

Let’s just lay it out, OK?

  • Some people hate The Newsroom. Some people love The Newsroom.

  • Among those who love The Newsroom, most didn’t care for the rape storyline in the most recent episode.

  • Among those who hated the rape storyline, Alena Smith was applauded for standing up to Aaron Sorkin and trying to shut it down in the writers’ room.

  • However, Aaron Sorkin was right that Alena Smith probably shouldn’t have revealed confidences from the writers’ room on Twitter.

  • But then again, Aaron Sorkin was a smug, condescending plug of butt about the way he patronized Alena Smith for revealing confidences from the writer’s room.

  • Even among those who don’t like The Newsroom, most agree that Olivia Munn’s Sloan Sabbith is one of the best characters on the series.

  • Those who actually do like The Newsroom love Sloan Sabbith, and many of us have a newfound respect for Olivia Munn for her ability to so successfully play that character.

    So, with that context in mind, here is the minefield: On Watch What Happens Live last night, Olivia Munn was asked about the controversy surrounding the storyline. Munn suggested that the controversy only came about because Alena Smith tweeted confidences from the writers’ room. She then suggested that, if Smith “had something intelligent or supportive to say, she should’ve said that. All she did was talk about her experience on The Newsroom, and if you’re going to open your mouth, you may as well say something actually intelligent.”

    The implication here, of course, is that Alena Smith did not say anything of intelligence. That she said dumb things.

    Well, well, well, what to think? Where do these remarks fit into the diagram? I want to support Munn! I don’t want to support Sorkin! I want to support Smith, but I don’t want to support her choice of medium! Munn is sticking up for her boss! But she’s also throwing a writer under the bus.

    She’s also wrong to think that Alena Smith started the controversy. In fact, Alena Smith was only responding to a controversy that had already begun after the episode aired. So Munn is wrong about that, and didn’t really even speak to the substance of the storyline. She skirted it by shifting blame to a writer who didn’t write the scene; in fact, she opposed the scene.

    So … everyone is wrong, and it’s Friday! Who wants ice cream?



    Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba.