Seth Rogen's Trump roast cut from award show broadcast
What's the story
Actor and comedian Seth Rogen's onstage roast of American President Donald Trump at the Breakthrough Prizes has been edited out of the awards show's official upload. The event, which honors significant scientific advances, saw Rogen making a jab at Trump during his presentation with actor Edward Norton. However, viewers who did not watch the event's live stream will not be able to hear it.
Edited remarks
What did Rogen say?
Rogen's quip about Trump "single-handedly destroying all of American science" was reportedly edited out of the official clips. "It's amazing that others in this room underwrote electing a man who, in the last week, single-handedly destroyed all of American science," Rogen said in the now-cut remark. "It's amazing how much good science you can destroy with $320 million and RFK Jr., very fast."
Editing rationale
Breakthrough Prizes explained reasoning behind edits
Confirming to The Hollywood Reporter, the Breakthrough Prizes said Rogen's joke was one of "several edits" to the show. The organization explained that the edits were made "in order to meet the originally planned run time." However, this reasoning has been called into question as the ceremony wasn't aired on television networks and would not have had to conform to any broadcasting scheduling requirements.
Prize history
Breakthrough Prizes: A platform for significant scientific achievements
Founded in 2013 by Google founder Sergey Brin, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and others, the Breakthrough Prizes recognize major scientific breakthroughs annually. Last year, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was present at the event. Rogen and Norton's presentation was to honor Gerardus't Hooft, a Dutch theoretical physicist and Nobel-winner who is known for his work in quantum field theory.
Budget cuts
Trump's proposed cuts to NASA's science budget
In related news, it appears Trump's administration is planning to cut NASA's Science Mission Directorate's budget nearly in half, The Washington Post reported, citing early budget documents. The current budget of $7.3 billion could be slashed to $3.9 billion, potentially affecting ongoing and future missions like the next major space telescope and Mars Sample Return mission. Former NASA leaders and space advocacy groups have criticized this proposal.