Before Kimmel, the Smothers Brothers Ate It

"L.B.J. offered magnanimity: "It is part of the price of leadership of this great and free nation to be the target of clever satirists," he (or a secretary) wrote. "You have given the gift of laughter to our people. May we never grow so somber or self-important that we fail to appreciate the humor in our lives." The letter was dated November 9, 1968, five days after Richard Nixon defeated Johnson's Vice-President, Hubert Humphrey, for the Presidency."

"Five months after that, with Nixon in the White House, CBS abruptly cancelled the Smothers brothers' show. The network claimed that the series' producers violated their contract by not providing finished episodes to its censors in a sufficiently timely manner (an assertion that would not pass muster in a subsequent civil-court case won by the brothers). Many, including the brothers themselves, felt that they were victims not only of skittish advertisers and conservative affiliates but also of the new Administration."

L.B.J. sent a conciliatory letter to Tom and Dick Smothers acknowledging satire as part of leadership and praising their gift of laughter. The letter was dated November 9, 1968, shortly after Nixon defeated Hubert Humphrey. Five months later, with Nixon president, CBS abruptly cancelled The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, citing contract violations for late delivery of finished episodes to network censors. A subsequent civil-court case favored the brothers. Many observers and the brothers believed cancellation resulted from pressure by nervous advertisers, conservative affiliates, and the new Administration, which became known for targeting perceived media foes. Dick Smothers later noted that political attempts to muzzle television predated their case.

Read at The New Yorker