NBC has decided to postpone airing an episode of Law & Order: SVU that was inspired by events surrounding Donald Trump’s presidential campaign — namely the ongoing suit that alleges Trump raped a 13-year-old girl back in the mid-1990s. The episode will air after the election has ended. According to NBC, the postponement occurred in light of the mounting pile of accusations against Trump in recent days, and the network’s unease about the episode being ripped from too recent a headline. However, Variety asserts that the episode’s production has been fraught from the start, with some of SVU’s creatives bemoaning more-than-usual interference with the script and story — particularly when it came to the portrayal of the Trump-like character played by Veep mainstay Gary Cole. NBC also insists this postponement is not connected to the Access Hollywood–Billy Bush scandal in which Trump was recorded bragging about sexually assaulting women during a taping for the NBC-produced celebrity show. A new airdate for the episode has been set for November 16. Watch a teaser for the episode below.
This post has been updated throughout to reflect new information.
