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Aaron Spelling revealed the comment he made to a reporter that he was never able to live down
“I probably never should have said it,” wrote Spelling.
We’ve all said things we’re not proud of, but very few of us are haunted by our own words for years to come. However, as a television producer living in the public eye, Aaron Spelling’s words, both written and spoken, were analyzed under a microscope by fans and critics alike.
In Spellng’s memoir, Aaron Spelling: A Prime-Time Life, Spelling admitted that amid his many successes in the television industry, he was less than proud of a comment he made offhandedly to one reporter who pressed him as to why he didn’t do more “thought-provoking television.”
“It was during the Charlie’s Angels era that I made a very stupid remark that I felt almost impossible to live down,” wrote Spelling.
“The reporter asked why I didn’t do more thought-provoking television, and I replied: ‘People have enough to worry about. I don’t think television has to preach so much. What’s wrong with sheer escapism entertainment...cotton candy for the mind?”
While the comment was made spontaneously, Spelling found himself labeled by it for the rest of his career. Though Spelling is responsible for many emotionally invested shows, many critics have branded him as a superficial creator.
“I probably never should have said it,” wrote Spelling. “It’s been printed 18 jillion times since, and some reviewers still refer to me as ‘the Cotton Candy King of TV’ and ignore my more serious work.”
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