The comedy routine was part of the Emmy‘s show but contained a joke within about the phone hacking scandal which Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. is currently caught up in. The main reason the joke didn’t make it to air was because News Corp owns Fox, who broadcasts the Emmy awards and the company demanded it cut saying that it wasn’t in keeping with theme and that the joke was “inappropriate”.

The joke that got the chop had Alec Baldwin, while on the telephone, asked openly if Rupert Murdoch was listening in on the call he was having.

It is currently damage limitation for News Corp. as the phone hacking scandal drags on with further enquires in front of panel planned, so whenever they have any power to censor negative press around the scandal they will no doubt take that opportunity.

The Emmy’s were full of surprises and laughs tonight in Los Angeles but the most controversial moment was whencomedy routine was scraped.