Melanie is terrific with children and has a sense of humor! PBS needs to lighten up a bit. We all have done things in our youth we may regret later; struggling actresses are certainly no exception! She certainly did not do anything more risque than what you might find on Saturday Night Live.
I support this petition because your idiot country allows violence to be on TV while it keeps sex as a taboo. Your idiot country also chose to elect a president based on "the gay" issue and he is now able to destroy the rest of the world.
the reasoning involved in this decision makes absolutely no sense. Sandy Wax exclaims, "PBS Kids Sprout has determined that the dialogue in this video is inappropriate for her role as a preschool program host and may undermine her character's credibility with our audience." How many pre-schoolers, the admitted audience for this show, would know anything about this seven-year video and thus be outraged? I hope there are no skeletons in Sandy Wax's closet!!
actors have to find work where they can. You can ot expect them to "save themselves" so that one day they might work for PBS. These films are harmless and are meant to be funny, get a sense of humor. In the mean time bring Melonie back for my 3 year old.
This woman has done nothing to damage her career with PBS. A movie that she made was a long time ago. It is time to move on, give her job back, and get over whatever may have been done in the past.
This seems hypocritical coming from a network that has George Carlin narrating Thomas the Train. This was years ago and should not be used against her.
It's a shame that PBS feels that Melanie's credibility will be undermined when the children who love her and watch PBS will never see anything but the PBS network. Melanie had a charisma that reached out to my child and she is greatly missed.
I do not agree with the decision PBS has made about firing Melanie. What is wrong with telling girls they should wait before they get into a sexual relationship. I believe that would be setting a "good" example for our kids, especially in these days.
I would like to know what the men who fired her were doing when they were her age. Young people make mistakes. Parents who watch sprout with their children most likley wont be watching the indy video with them any more than they will be watching Carlin's 7 dirty word skit skit with them.
PBS says that Melonie's film would undermine her credibility with her audience?!! I don't know about anyone else, but I don't generally let my 3 year old surf the net for R rated independent films. Come on, give me a break, PBS!
Gee, do you think PBS overreacted just a little bit? What a joke.
So if Melanie gets fired for making a spoof PSA how many years ago, how is that Sprout still runs Thomas the Train episodes narrated by George Carlin? Carlin was as foul a comedian as you could find yet he is still able to appear on Sprout but Melanie isn't. Something's screwed up there.
This is crazy. I agree with the person earlier that said you can have George Carlin on Thomas and also Alec Baldwin. If you have ever seen Carlin's stand up from more than 20 years ago it was a lot worse than anyting Melanie might have said. I mean really. And Alec Baldwin, have you all forgoten about the allegations of domestic abuse? Do you all remember his very evident temper? Again this whole thing is just CRAZY!
Not a good way to set an example for the children out there who are old enough to understand what has happened and why. You should rethink your tactics.
Did you know that Steve Burns of Blue's Clues has previously played a murderer on TV's Homicide? Should he have been fired for that? Why did this not undermine his credibility as a preschool host? Sesame street regularly features guest stars who have done material that would be inappropriate for a children's show. How should that be any different? Firing actors for parts they played in the past is just wrong. Period. Even worse, in a sense, than being wrong, it's just plain unnecessary. Whoever made the decision ought to be ashamed. We will no longer be watching Sprout.
because I cannot believe that they would fire Melanie Martinez for an unrelated project she did seven years ago. Did you know that Steve Burns of Blue's Clues has previously played a murderer on TV's Homicide? Should he have been fired for that? Why did this not undermine his credibility as a preschool host? Sesame street regularly features guest stars who have done material that would be inappropriate for a children's show. How should that be any different?
They wrote that "Melanie has been an important part of our network and we are disappointed that we had to make this difficult decision." This is untrue. They didn't have to make this difficult decision; they chose to.
Firing actors for parts they played in the past is just wrong. Period. Even worse, in a sense, than being wrong, it's just plain unnecessary. Whoever made the decision ought to be ashamed.
We will no longer be watching Sprout.
Melanie was great. My two girls love her. As I saw on another comment, PBS can put George Carlin (who I also love) on Thomas but can't abide a satirist on the Good Night Show? Bring her back!
I support this petition because I our society in all of its puritanical splendor needs to adopt a policy in which the past is the past; move on people...I'm sure your pasts aren't all without blemish...
Because it isn't right to fire a women for something and tell the men who do the same things that it's ok to do them and let them keep their jobs. I smell a lawsuit comming.
My children loved Melanie and Hush. She should be judged on her work at PBS not her past. Is PBS going to investigate the rest of their staff and fire them for things in their past as well?
Our 3-year-old granddaughter loved Miss Melanie so much; we had to change back from Direct TV to Comcast cable just so we could get PBS Kids Sprout. After Melanie was let go our 3-year-old kept asking, “Where is Miss Melanie”? It was very hard to explain to a 3-year-old that Miss Melanie she was fired. Our granddaughter refuses to watch the PBS good night show. She has resorted to Sponge Bob Square Pants. Way to go! Now all the children in the world will become little Sponge Bobs, or worse Patrick’s! For the Love of God, bring back Melanie!
get real sprout; do you think my 14 month old son knows or cares about a psa done 7 YEARS ago? he wants melanie, not that silly star hand puppet. we are your viewers so you should take our comments very seriously and reconsider your position; there is always noggin.
because my 4 year old son loved to watch Melanie everynight before he went to bed. He still asks where she is. PBS do the right thing and bring her back for the children!
I support this petition wholeheartedly. It is ludicrous to think that the little children watching Melanie at night will wander on to a site on the internet that some self-righteous person has decided to investigate. My 3-year-old son loves to watch Miss Melanie, and really misses her. AS a good parent, I hope that I would monitor where my children are going on the internet, and keep htem away from any site that I thought would be too much for them. Bring Melanie back!
