UPDATED: Wasn’t hard to see this one coming: The Parents Television Council says that it will complain to the FCC that Fox’s The X Factor violated the broadcast decency rules on Wednesday. The group says that the program showed a contestant, Geo Godley, “dropping his pants and exposing himself during a song and dance routine.” The performance took place shortly after 8 PM in the Central and Mountain Time zones, when the PTC says indecent content is prohibited on broadcast television. “The prolonged, previously videotaped footage of a contestant dancing nude on the X Factor stage represents a conscious decision by the producers — with the approval of the network’s broadcast standards department — to intentionally air this content in front of millions of families during hours when they knew full well that children would be watching,” PTC president Tim Winters says. He added that “If Godley performed his act in public, he would have been arrested. But if he performs it in front of a Fox camera, his act is beamed via the public airwaves into every home in the nation.” X Factor judge Paula Abdul called the performance “shocking and disgusting,” while L.A. Reid described it as “offensive, disgusting, distasteful and upsetting.”
But TV Watch, a coalition that includes TV networks and free speech advocates, says that PTC mangled some facts. Contrary to PTC’s claim that X Factor was rated ”TV-PG DL,” TV Watch says it was “TV-14, D L” which means “it most certainly would have triggered the V-Chip for parents who utilized it.” Executive director Jim Dyke says that “PTC increasingly has a credibility problem. … Our research among parents makes clear that they want to make the decisions about what their children see — not government.”


my tv had the “offensive” areas blurred out? their’s didn’t?
Isn’t this publicity good for X Factor, which had a softer-than-hoped-for debut, according to an article on this site? A commenter below says that the PTC chooses the biggest shows to target, but this kind of publicity works both ways. This one seems like a win-win, for both parties, to me.
These so called moral crusaders are always trying to be the thought police of the masses. If a show or cinema differs from what these people view is outside their ridiculously high moral standard, it must eradicated. They have people actively watching video frame by frame just to see if there is a single frame of genitals or anything else they view as questionable. The PTC are just in a long line narrow minded idiot right wing moralists in the same league as Mary Whitehouse. (Those of you who remember the video nasties scare will recognize that name.) Do we really want a period of our own video nasties? We will if we let these nut jobs keep thinking it’s ok to manipulate government into violating more of your right to free speech.
If I walked out in public with my pants down, covered by a giant red X I don’t see me getting arrested. The PTC needs to get a sense of humor.
I saw the performance. Pretty sure you couldn’t see anything since they covered up the lower part of his body. WTF is the problem exactly? Because he was naked underneath? How bored is the PTC?
He should be arrested and logged as a sex offender. I am sure that there were children in that audience under the age of 18 and I am sure that they and their parents did not sign anything saying that it was ok to expose them to that. I dont even care about it being on the tv nearly as much as I do for all those people in the audience. but on the lines of being on tv-giving that idiot air time or any extra attention for what he did is just shameful. I Think Fox owes its viewers a huge apology for airing that, and that they should be fined. And I am fairly liberal about such things but that was just horrible. I was in no way prepared for him to do that with my kids watching the tv and I definitely would have been outraged if I had been in the audience with my kids. Shame on you Fox for giving that man a national stage and exposing children to such things. Maybe the people who helped air that episode and let that man on stage should also be listed as sex offenders.
Absolutely. Because nudity is the worse thing ever that kids can see. Don’t worry about X-ing out all the violence they see on TV and movies. But the natural form of a human body is sooooo wrong. Whatever you do, don’t take your kids to a museum, cause you might see nude statues.
What’s wrong with this country. Grow up. I’m not saying show your kids porn or anything like that, but we tend to blow these things way out of proportion. This country is so backwards when it comes to nudity and sex as opposed to violence. And you wonder why we’re in the economic state we’re in with the values we have.
Or maybe I’m wrong – just arrest the bastard. Let’s put him on public trial and stone him if he’s found guilty.
If anyone in the live audience had a problem with it it’s up to them to file a complaint, not some people who saw a big X on T.V. I wouldn’t be so sure they didn’t sign a waiver. It’s an audition, so there is a limit to how much the producers can control content for the people watching in person.
Two and a Half Men featured pixilated “nudity”, did the PTC go after them. Just because Kutcher was likely not nude under the pixels and the X Factor guy was doesn’t change what the home viewers saw.
Firstly, the PTC are a bunch of Nazi-KKK-Tea Party lovin’ fascists who don’t have any qualms about your stomping all over the whole contry’s rights to free speech. It’s for the sake of “the kids” of course, so it’s all right.
Secondly, no one under the age of 21 is allowed admittance to the taping of a network show.
I was at a Seattle taping (not the one in question though) I don’t recall if there was an age limit on my ticket, but there were definitely some younger kids at my screening. So you’re just making that up.
Heck, that 14-year-old Bieber wannabe from the Seattle show brought his whole middle school class.
I would never subject my kids to X Factor anyway, why would you? I don’t think children should watch such rude and demeaning behavior from someone like Simon Cowell. Not to mention those desperate people doing whatever it takes, no matter how undignified, just to have their moment on the TV. Besides, those shows are full of sexual innuendo and adult content. DVR it next time and watch after they go to bed. Instead of having some joke of an organization like the PTC fighting battles for you, just use some common sense when it comes to what your children watch.
a sex offender…really? Jillianne you’re either a moron or you need to get a hobby. You honestly think dancing on a stage naked is in the same category as rape or sexual abuse of a minor? Maybe if we stopped spending all our energy focusing on totally insignificant things like this that don’t harm anyone and put that time, resources and money into solving actual problems this country wouldn’t be in such a mess. Grow up and look around…there are real problems in the world!
Expose them to what exactly? The IDEA of nudity?
Haven’t these morons gone broke yet?
You obviously don’t have kids.
I don’t have kids and I totally agree with PTC. That dude should have been arrested.
I have kids and I still think the PTC is full of morons.
I do have kids. I just don’t have morons.
YOU have kids?!
was this another piece of reality show faking it? Was the guy really naked or merely wearing tight underwear? Cause if he really exposed himself to 8,000 people, he should have been arrested and charged as a sex offender for the act. What was really under the blur.
This is like that Bucket List series on MTV that wanted us to believe the boys raced onto the field of a soccer game with only their shoes on, but they were not charged for exposing themselves to children in the audience – which is a felony. Why? Because the boys were wearing underwear. But none of that was covered in the show so that anyone duplicating the bucket list will get a sad reality if they let their dong loose in a public setting.
Seems to me like he was probably wearing a thong or something and FOX put the giant X Factor logo over his crotch to imply he was naked.
I’m starting to get really annoyed with this PTC. The dude was wearing underwear. The X Factor was protecting us from an unsightly bulge. On America’s Funniest Videos, we might see the same video of a dog pulling down a man’s pants and the exposed region would be blurred while comic music and voiceover plays. Hell, we might even see a boy dropping his shorts to pee in a fountain which, to me, is more disgusting but somehow less offensive…
This group really needs to pick and choose their battles a little more carefully.
They are picking and choosing their battles carefully… the want the show with the biggest audience so they can get the most attention for their cause. Has very little to do with anything else… if the same thing happened on a show on a small cable channel and a small budget they’d ignore it. And that’s why no one takes them seriously.
only idiots would allow this behavior. If someone molested your child, i doubt u will videotape this,sell this and pretend u are mature to accept this behavior. I know this is America-the great beast but you are morally dead if u think u are fine seeing this and broadcasting this. Accepting everything doesnt make you greater than others. quarter million iraqis have died cause of america. You did not care for them, i guess u dont care for anyone.desensitised to the core. My 10 pesos rant. Maybe i roule just Blame china and india?
I am happy to see that organizations like PTC don’t stand for this type of nonsense. Television should be entertainment for everyone. People who want to see this type of crap have cable channels. There are millions of people who want to watch clean entertainment, and sit down with their kids and enjoy clean, wholesome fun, and they should have their chance to do that. People constantly complain that it’s the “parents” job to control what their children watch, but then they get their arses in a dither when a group like PTC complains about some obvious, misguided trash on a supposedly family-oriented show.
What’s “family-oriented” about a show where the main draw is a snobby brit completely demoralizing and dehumanizing people with over the top rude comments? Then you have the contestants making fools out of themselves, while the at home audience mocks and laughs and them, just to be on television. Why a parent would expose their child to such rude behavior and then complain about the antics going too far is beyond me.
oh… and what about Two and a Half Men? are they protesting that so called nudity, too? puhleeze!
and this is where they lose credibility. They are like over the fence gossiping annoying neighbors right now. I’m all for protecting kids but pick something important to stand up for please!!!
The point is that X Factor specifically chose to have this person on the show. They knew what they were doing, and did it on purpose just to get attention…and, it is working.
The disappointing aspect is that X Factor feels it needs this kind of material with the ‘staged’ sickened Paula ‘drama queen performance’ to draw attention.
If the X Factor does have a saving grace…it is the fact that several performers have done really well, but once again, the artists are secondary to the judges, their staged disagreements, and the off the wall performance which is now getting all the press.
Just make the show about the talent as all this other stuff is just… more X Noise!
Cut out this crap, and maybe, the ratings will improve.
Not only was it obviously staged, it was also prerecorded. The X Factor could have edited him out but chose not to. It’s more likely that they edited him INTO the show since there were surely other contestants left on the cutting room floor that could have been inserted instead.
Oooooh, a bloke acts like a div and is covered to protect his shame. For the love of god these people are sad. Kids can see anything they like thanks to the net these days, why should it matter on tv so long as genetalia are covered. I’d love to see what this parent league would make of stuff here in the UK. Bet the inbetweeners would make their skin crawl. Morons.
Just because kids CAN see everything these days doesn’t mean they should. Family entertainment is supposed to be just that. Not everyone whats to see this type of garbage, and for those that do, they have other show options. Where are the options for those who just want clean fun, no dirty jokes and no nudity?
I agree 100 percent. There’s enough filth and debauchery on TV to satisfy that crowd. If people expect to see family wholesome entertainment, and that’s what they choose to watch, that is what they should get.
People can watch gay programming or soft porn on TV, why can’t a family choose to watch TV that eschews all that, and actually get it?
you can…turn on the Disney Channel and stop trying to police everyone else’s television.
Oooooo. Ahhh
Why dont these “entertainers” just go make a porn movie and be done with it?
The PTC is far more interested in drawing attention to themselves than any of the ridiculous incidents they selectively pick and choose to be “outraged” by. And the posters who are somehow comparing this non event to a sex offense or child molestation need to have their heads examined. This country is so screwed up and puritanical about the god given human body it’s mind boggling. I just returned from a trip to Italy where I was often surrounded by nude statues, many enviously endowed, and I don’t think any of the children also touring these squares and museums were being adversely affected in any way whatsoever. I think these PTC morons and those expressing outrage here must just have far dirtier minds than most!
And you know this how?
Just throwing this out there: it’s not about the nudity, but about the fact that nudity was imposed without consent of the audience. When you tune into HBO or Showtime for an adult drama, you are not suprised by nudity, but network at 8 pm is not what you are signing up for. Fox could have put a title card up before the end of the commercial break to warn families. Just sayin’.
The point is, no nudity was shown on the X Factor. None. To siimply that someone is nude is that upsetting to families? Bitch, please.
Just wondering, have they ever protest the Catholic Church and the systematic and persistent molestation of minors and the associated cover ups? Or is a guy with a red x over his wang really that much more damaging to our fragile youth?
PTC now has egg on their face… we now know the guy was not nude, and nothing of his privates were exposed. PTC didnt even check their facts.
This is all about Simon Cowell and his desperate attempts at getting publicity and notoriety for a copycat show (identical to Idol). Just like the faux drama with picking the judges (Paula Abdul, Sherzinger(sp)/Cole) and the “problems” with production and contestants (underhanded, cheating and insider dealings) which were “outed” a few months ago, this is just another protracted play for free publicity. And it’s FOX, no surprise. Cowell is playing the media and public perfectly – and the media and public is following along like lemmings.
Remember, Simon Cowell is Exec Producer here, not FOX. He seems pretty disgusting (no business ethics or morals) in the first place so this is no surprise.