Meghan McCain served scathing fact-checks after claiming Mr. Rogers wasn’t political
Right-wing commentator Meghan McCain was facing backlash online Thursday after claiming that famed television personality, actor, and producer Mr. Rogers wasn't political.
McCain wrote a post on X claiming that Fred Rogers, known as "Mr. Rogers," who challenged societal norms and hosted the groundbreaking children's program "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" from 1968 to 2001, did not express political thoughts, The Daily Beast reported.
"Wanna know one of the best things about Mr. Rogers growing up? I never knew anything about his political opinions. He just entertained kids. That's it," she wrote.
Rogers has been recognized as one of the most influential figures in television history. His show revolutionized children's programming by addressing complex social and emotional topics in age-appropriate ways, emphasizing kindness, acceptance and emotional literacy, while his gentle demeanor and cardigan-and-sneaker aesthetic became iconic symbols of compassionate education that profoundly shaped multiple generations of American children and established new standards for quality children's television.
People online didn't hold back and called out McCain's comments.
"I guess you missed this episode," user Nina Infinity wrote on X, pointing to an image from the episode with Rogers and Officer Clemmons, who was played by François Clemmons, where the two have their feet inside a cooling pool at a time when segregation prevented Black Americans from swimming in pools with white Americans.
"Cool story, Meghan. Here’s the famous pool scene from Mister Rogers in 1969 when he wanted to send a clear message about segregation despite many adults expressing concern over him being 'too political,'" writer Charlotte Clymer wrote on X.
"Kids would've missed the context, but there were political messages, like this on segregation," Napp Nazworth, executive director of the American Values Coalition, wrote on X.
"A worthy role model for you to aspire to emulate," policy strategist Alexander McCoy wrote on X.
"Mr. Rogers risked his career to break the color barrier preventing whites and blacks from swimming/bathing together. If you knew about this at the time, you'd have probably demanded to speak to his manager," Alan MacLeod, writer and podcast producer for Mint Press News, wrote on X.