Warning! The following contains spoilers for Fox's Celebrity Watch Party episode "Lindsay Lohan Joins The Party." Read at your own risk!
Celebrity Watch Party has fit right in with Fox's increasingly strange primetime programming in recent weeks, showing audiences Ozzy Osbourne's reaction to Dr. Pimple Popper and other celebrities' thoughts on the biggest things happening on television in recent weeks. This week, however, the program really broke the mold from its traditional showings and showed footage from protests following the death of George Floyd.
The celebrity cast specifically watched footage of the Atlanta protests as political activist and rapper Killer Mike addressed the city in a press conference. Audiences praised Celebrity Watch Party for re-broadcasting Killer Mike's speech, and for the commentary added to the conversation from celebrities like retired NFL star Reggie Bush.
The message hit Bush hard, as well as other celebrities tuning in that evening. Raven-Symone was among them. After a friend suggested that the media should be wary of how much footage they show in case children were in the room, her response was simple.
Other celebrities shared similar thoughts throughout the segment, which aired just before Celebrity Watch Party ended. The show has covered news topics before, but this was far and away the biggest news item that has been covered to date. Some networks, shows, or celebrities might have balked at the opportunity to show such a real reaction to a subject so current and new, but the show didn't hold back. Fans are appreciative and making it known.
The social media chatter on Celebrity Watch Party's decision to show Killer Mike's speech and the Atlanta protests skewed largely positive, with little to no criticism on Twitter in regards to airing the content. It was mostly messages of support, and genuine happiness that a show would go out of its way to highlight such a prominent issue in American society so quickly.
It's especially surprising that a show that highlights celebrity reactions would tackle an issue so deep, and that celebrities would participate in it. Now is an especially sensitive time where a celebrity saying the wrong thing can cause backlash amongst their fanbase, and yet, I felt a majority of the night's celebrities put their thoughts and feelings about the matter on the record. Personally, I found it refreshing to see celebrities willing to share their thoughts, and apparently others did too.
Given the response to Celebrity Watch Party's first foray into this topic, I'll be curious to know if the following episodes will try for more heavy-hitting topics. The episode proved this Fox series can be just as serious as it is silly, and there could be real value in giving these celebrities as many important things to discuss as they do with the lighthearted things.
Celebrity Watch Party airs on Fox Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest news happening in television and movies.
