The actor, known for his roles in Reading Rainbow and Star Trek: The Next Generation, humorously queried the audience during his opening monologue, "Before we get going, are there any Moms for Liberty in the house?" His question was met with laughter, to which he responded, "No? Good. Then hands will not need to be thrown tonight."
Moms for Liberty, a parental rights group formed in response to stringent COVID restrictions in schools, was recently labeled an extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). In their 2022 Year in Hate and Extremism report, the SPLC described Moms for Liberty as an "extremist" coalition of "far-right antigovernment parents" notorious for "intimidating and harassing teachers and school officials." The group has since announced plans to sue the SPLC for defamation.
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In response to Burton's remarks, Moms for Liberty issued a statement on X, expressing their disappointment. "American moms weep as a childhood favorite, Reading Rainbow, calls for physical attacks against us because we are protecting the innocence of our children. @levarburton, why have you sunk so low? Threatening physical violence against women?"
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In a recent interview with Esquire, Burton further discussed the group, expressing satisfaction that "hardly any candidates backed by Moms for Liberty won their races" during the 2023 election cycle. He stated, "These are people who would rather children not know the truth. Those kids will never know what they’re missing, but it’s our job to stand up for them, to be their voices and their advocates. That’s what being an elder in this society means to me.”
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In 2022, Burton appeared on The View, criticizing groups that have protested against books in school libraries containing hyper-sexualized content and critical race theory. He argued, "We have this aversion in this country to knowing about our past. And anything that is unpleasant, we don’t want to deal with. This is not going away. Nothing goes away, especially if you ignore it. So, read the books they’re banning. That’s where the good stuff is. If they don’t want you to read it, there’s a reason why.”
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The awards ceremony was not without further controversy. Zibby Owens of Zibby Books withdrew her sponsorship after learning that some nominated authors intended to advocate for a ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists during their acceptance speeches. In a Substack post, Owens revealed that a "source" had informed her of the nominees' collective decision to "use their platform when winning speeches to promote a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel agenda."
She expressed her concern to the JTA, stating, "I had asked for an assurance that should any antisemitic rhetoric surface that the NBF would have an action plan around that. None was forthcoming.”
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