Our cultural obsession with turning trainwrecks into entertainment continues: Rob Ford now has his own YouTube show, Ford Nation.
A couple of teaser clips aired last week, featuring the Toronto mayor and his brother, Doug. And it’s just as cringe-worthy as you’d expect. The Ford brothers stick to politics, framing their vignettes as pleas for Ford’s re-election in October, interspersed with awkward who’s-on-first humor.
“Please judge me on my record, not my personal life,” Ford says in one clip. In another, he answers a question from a viewer who asked why he denied his substance abuse problems.
“I do not have a substance abuse problem,” he responds. “Did I experiment with drugs? Yes, I have. Why did I lie? I think everyone in the world is lying. I was embarrassed and didn’t want to tell the truth.”
Ford Nation originally aired on Canada’s Sun News Network, but was canceled after one episode. However, this coincides conveniently with the news that Toronto Star reporter Robyn Doolittle’s book, Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story, was optioned by Canada’s Blue Ice Pictures, which will turn it into a movie or television show.
This YouTube venture brings it all full circle, really. After all, it’s the platform that launched all the colorful clips of Ford’s foibles.
Screengrab via Ford Nation/YouTube
