The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back? The much-hyped 2024 Trump vs. Kamala Harris debate. What was supposed to be an intellectual exchange of ideas (or at least a decent mudslinging match) quickly descended into a fact-checking fiasco and a moderator meltdown.

ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis seemed to be playing referee in a match that no one asked for, constantly interrupting Trump’s colorful commentary with real-time corrections. Whether it was Trump’s claims about Democrats supporting “baby executions” or his theory that immigrants were stealing pets in Ohio for “barbecues,” the moderators were on high alert to stop the misinformation train before it could derail.

Unfortunately for ABC, fact-checking a candidate in real-time didn’t exactly sit well with half the country. Trump supporters were quick to cry foul, accusing the network of bias. ABC, it seemed, had managed to alienate a significant portion of its viewership in under 90 minutes. In the days following the debate, social media was flooded with outrage, conspiracy theories, and calls for a boycott. The network’s executives, who had hoped for a ratings bonanza, instead found themselves fielding angry calls from advertisers and losing viewers by the minute.

Faced with plummeting ratings, advertiser pullouts, and the growing cost of security (thanks to the unrelenting mob of angry Twitter users and conspiracy theorists camped outside ABC’s headquarters), the network made the tough call to exit the debate game altogether. In a refreshingly candid statement, an ABC spokesperson said, “It turns out hosting these debates is more expensive than we thought. Between fact-checking, riot control, and paying moderators to keep a straight face, we just can’t afford it anymore.”