Chris Rock wants Barack Obama off of television

The comedian doesn’t “want to live in a world where President Obama is worried about his Rotten Tomatoes score.” He tells the Hollywood Reporter that he wants Obama “above that at all times.” And he is bound to be disappointed.

Details about the former president’s Netflix deal aren’t available. The back-and-forth that brought him out of retirement is pretty obvious and it is scummy.

It wasn’t just the strength of Obama’s resume or charm that helped land him the part. Netflix knows the former president very well. He gave them net neutrality and they gave him a show. He gave one of their executives a three-year ambassadorship in the Bahamas and that executive gave him advice on negotiating the contract.

And so, though well-intentioned, Rock naively thinks that ratings will corrupt the former president. Whether the funnyman knows it or not, he is living in a world where politicians like Obama cash out after leaving office. Television won’t ruin Obama because cronyism already has.