Aaron Sorkin Fired Everybody

Aaron Sorkin’s newest show, The Newsroom, has been plagued by criticism, for a number of reasons: its idealistic bluster, its vitriol toward the Internet, its depiction of women, its lack of minority representation, and its, well, Sorkininess. Despite this multifront attack by everyone with a keyboard, HBO renewed it for a second season a little while back. Hey, neat! Give yourselves a hand, everyone on the writing staff who’s still employed! Whoawhoawhoa, not so fast Literally All Of You Except Aaron Sorkin And His Ex-Girlfriend.

According to HBO, the Aaron Sorkin drama set behind the scenes of a cable news network is replacing about half of its writing staff, though one source close to the show tells The Hollywood Reporter that everyone on the show’s writing staff except for Corinne Kinsbury [Sorkin's ex] has been let go. News of the shakeup was first reported by The Daily.

“Every year each show reassesses the needs of its writing staffs. This process is nothing out of the ordinary,” HBO said in a statement to THR. [THR]

[Aaron Sorkin calls a writer into his office]

SORKIN: I’ve gotta let you go.

WRITER: What? Why?

SORKIN: You want answers?

WRITER: I think I’m entitled.

SORKIN: You want answers?

WRITER: I WANT THE TRUTH!

SORKIN: YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH! Son, we live in a world that has blogs, and those blogs have to be pretentiously talked down to by men with shows. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Gideon Yago? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom! You weep for the other writers and you curse Studio 60. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that firing all of you, while tragic, probably saved the show. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves shows! You don’t want the truth, because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me to tell you how the world should work! You need me need me to tell you how the world should work!

I re-use dialogue like “I hate your breathing guts” and “That’s the cost of doing business.” I use these words as the backbone of a life spent creating something. You use them as a punchline! I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the television landscape that I’ve created, and then questions the manner in which I created it! I would rather you just said “Thank you,” and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a copy of Final Draft, and create a show. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to!

WRITER: Dick. [walks out, slams door]

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