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Open to Debate

Should We Separate the Art from the Artist?

Open to Debate

Open to Debate

Society & Culture, Education, News

4.62.2K Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2026

⏱️ 52 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It turns out your favorite artist is a monster. Say they committed murder, advocated genocide, or engaged in some other act so outside the scope of a dignified, respectable society that it cannot be redeemed. What now? Must you throw the art out with the artists? It's a question at the heart of both pop culture and high art critique. For some, a work of art is an entity in itself. It should be appreciated and revered without regard to the life of its creator. If we disregard all great art for the sins of the artists, we risk losing many of the world's greatest cultural touchstones and masterpieces. But for others, the act of supporting a work of art translates directly affirming its creator's evil acts. In this timeless debate, we ask: Should we separate the art from the artist? This ethical conundrum is at the crux of this week's debate, originally broadcast in September 2022. ARGUING YES:  Randy Cohen, Writer & Humorist     ARGUING NO:  Aruna D'Souza, Writer & Art Critic      Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates    Join the conversation on Substack—share your perspective on this episode and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for curated insights from our debaters, moderators, and staff.  Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and TikTok to stay connected with our mission and ongoing debates.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:36.2

Fans are flocking to see the new biopic about Michael Jackson playing in theaters.

0:41.2

Many still see Michael as the icon they grew up with, whose music means the world to them.

0:47.2

And that's despite the unsettling criminal allegations that were levied against him.

0:51.2

The new film is being dismissed by critics.

0:53.8

They don't like it,

0:54.6

but audiences seem to love taking this brief trip back in time when it felt a lot less complicated

0:59.9

to love Michael's music. Well, this all reminded us of an excellent debate we did a few years back

1:04.3

about whether art can truly be separated from the artist. So we're going to share that conversation

1:09.2

again, where Michael Jackson,

1:10.9

along with some other celebrities, are among the examples brought up by our debaters.

1:16.6

Have you had this experience? There is a comedian that you just idolize, or a singer, or an actor,

1:23.8

or a painter, or a writer, or a composer, somebody whose work you consider to be just totally

1:29.0

amazing, full of insight and beauty and maybe even genius. And then you find out this person

1:35.1

that you idolize is a total jerk or worse, you know, believes in some really bad ideas or has

1:42.0

said some really hurtful things or done some really

1:44.7

harmful things. Do you downgrade your estimation of it because your opinion of the artist has fallen?

1:50.4

Or do we, as a culture, still find a way to admire and honor the work apart from the person who made it?

...

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