Seth Rogen took a swipe at Donald Trump in a joke that was cut from an awards show co-founded by Mark Zuckerberg.
The actor and producer, who currently stars in Apple TV+ series The Studio, criticised the president while presenting at the Breakthrough Prize, a ceremony deemed “the Oscars of Science”.
Gracing the stage with Edward Norton, Rogen used the opportunity to question why high-profile figures in tech, in an evident reference to Elon Musk, would support Trump when his administration was actively defunding science.
But the comments never made it into the “full video” released by the ceremony.
The actor said, according to The Hollywood Reporter: “It’s amazing that others in this room underwrote electing a man who, in the last week, single-handedly destroyed all of American science. It’s amazing how much good science you can destroy with $320m and RFK Jr, very fast.”
The outlet notes that his comments, heard by the award’s co-founders Mark Zuckerberg, Yuri Milner and Sergey Brin, “clearly made Norton uncomfortable”.
Rogen’s remarks were a nod to the fact that Trump has repeatedly defied scientifically proven notions and cut federal funding to research.
These cuts affect major scientific programs, and have lead to layoffs at Noaa and Nasa, as well as potentially 10,000 workers at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Funding cuts have also targeted NASA contracts, Covid research grants, and environmental grants, impacting institutions across the country.
For example, there is concern that life-saving scientific work will be endangered by the Trump administration’s freezing of $2.2bn in federal research grants for Harvard University.
Rogen’s joke didn’t set the room alight, with Norton noting the “light applause” – a comment that made it into the edited ceremony despite the absence of the original joke.
A second quip made by Rogen, about physics prize winner Gerardus, was also edited out of the broadcast.
A spokesperson for the Breakthrough Prize Foundation said: “This year’s ceremony lasted longer than the prior few years, and several edits were made in order to meet the originally planned run time.”
The Independent has contacted Rogen for comment.
A survey recently found that 75 per cent of US-based scientists are considering leaving the country due to funding cuts implemented by the Trump administration.
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