Donald Trump’s legacy is stained by his reputation for leading with a fragile ego, and the obliteration of freedom of speech in the media continues to be his undoing.

In his second term, the 79-year-old lobbed a defamation lawsuit against ABC and won $16 million, making him feel more invincible than ever. Trump’s domination tactics did not begin with the 2024 reelection; they have always been part of his M.O.

President Donald Trump gets blamed for causing the end of ABC’s popular series, “Black-ish,” from Kenya Barris. (Photos by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Robin L Marshall/WireImage)

‘This Show Has Changed My Life’: Kenya Barris Announces ‘Black-ish’ to End After Eighth Season

“Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris took a hit from Trump, and his recollection of the temperamental president mirrors present-day actions. The embattled businessman was first elected in 2016, two years after “Black-ish’s debut.

The scripted ABC sitcom about the Black upper-middle-class family, the Johnsons, debuted during former President Barack Obama’s second term.

The show followed the lives of advertisement executive Andre “Dre” (Anthony Anderson) and his anesthesiologist wife Rainbow “Bow” (Tracee Ellis Ross), their six children, and Dre’s parents. The program tackled topics like race, classism, and current events.

Season 4, episode 14, “Please, Baby, Please,” was scrapped days before its Feb. 27, 2018, air date. In it, Dre tells his youngest son, Devante, a bedtime story about “The Shady King.” Footage of Trump, Colin Kaepernick kneeling, and protests of police brutality are woven through scenes of the father and son.

Barris told “The Breakfast Club” on April 22 that he presumed Trump pulled a power move to scrap the storyline. He explained that Disney and Fox were working on a merger that required Trump’s approval.

“They were afraid that he was petty enough to not, if we aired it, let the merger go through,” Barris said. At the time, he and ABC blamed creative differences for the shelved episode.

The Clark Atlanta University alum recalled, “I was like, ‘That’s not how this works… I went through all the approvals. The episode’s ready to air; it went through all the checks and balances.’”

Barris cited free speech concerns when he made the decision to step down as the series’ showrunner.

“I was like, ‘I can’t be here anymore,” said the “Girl’s Trip” co-writer. “I said it felt like censorship, and Iger [former Disney CEO Bob Iger] supported me in a way [that] they didn’t have to. He supported the idea. They didn’t have to let me out of my deal, but they did.”

Anderson and Ross also spoke about the matter during separate interviews for The Hollywood Reporter.

The actor said the production secured all required approvals for the multimillion-dollar taping. He was under the impression they “could tell the stories that we wanted to tell.”

Ross said, “Everything that has surrounded that, I do not have the answers for… I have asked for the information…that I felt would be helpful to me…because I find it frightening.”

Barris also mentioned he was “audited” in 2018, two years after Trump’s term.

“Little things that you’re like, ‘Is this an accident?’ So I just feel like we’re in a different [time],” he explained. “They’re coming back, they’re attacking. They feel like they’re in a different place, and they feel like they can do whatever they want.”

A viewer remarked, “It wasn’t a coincidence that you got the attention of the IRS and audits and s–t. They weaponize the systems we have to be a part of. That’s how this petty admin works.”

Two more people commented, “A president worried about a TV show sad” and “Should’ve just played it. ABC let Jimmy do the trump show every night.”

A few others believed Barris was fearful of Trump’s retaliation over the episode, calling him a “petty man.” One reaction states, “Trump would NOT have cared about sitcoms dialogue. Look at ‘SNL’ that is crazy. They jumped the gun and being paranoid.”

“They silenced him and somehow he thinks he came out smooth,” added another.

In August 2018, Barris inked a three-year overall deal, valued at $100 million, with Netflix. He completed his ABC pact by remaining an executive producer on “Black-ish” and its Freeform spinoff “Grown-ish.”

“Black-ish” ran its eighth and final season in 2022. During the show’s lengthy run, the cast and crew won several accolades. This includes multiple NAACP awards, a Golden Globe, TCA award for outstanding comedy achievement, and an MTV Movie & TV award. As for the shelved episode, it was made available on Hulu in 2020.

‘WOW … What a Shame’: Kenya Barris Drops Bombshell Says He Left ‘Black-ish’ Because of Trump