On Monday in Morristown, a large and enthusiastic Drew Forum crowd heard hilarious stories from Al Franken about Saturday Night Live and the U.S. Senate, and serious observations about Trump 2.0.

One thing patrons did not hear was Franken’s side of the sexual misconduct allegations that led to his resignation from the Senate in 2018.

People in the entertainment world say it’s not unusual for guest speakers to declare certain topics as taboo when they sign contracts for appearances. Yet such caveats aren’t always disclosed to patrons, who may think they are buying tickets to a free-wheeling talk by a celebrity.

When asked if Franken stipulated his resignation was off-limits, Drew University, which has presented the Drew Forum for three decades, issued a statement through spokesman Stuart Dezenhall.

“The general topics for the evening were determined based on the interests of questions submitted by the audience and the breadth of Franken’s long career,” he said.

The talk was moderated by Charles Stile, a veteran New Jersey political reporter.

“I sought to ask a question regarding his resignation but this was their show and I followed their ground rules,” Stile said. “This was the first time I served in a role as a moderator with a celebrity. It was an eye-opening experience.”

Questions from ticket buyers were solicited up to three weeks in advance by the Mayo Performing Arts Center, where the talk was given, and forwarded to the university for review, said theater Chief Operating Officer Ed Kirchdoerffer.

“That was part of the contract, and is pretty standard in the industry. Drew University handled that aspect of the booking and program…we collect the questions, we send everything along to Drew who sends them to the artist management,” Kirchdoerffer said.

Franken’s press team did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

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ALLEGATIONS

Many Democrats, including then-Sen. Kamala Harris, pressed Franken to step down in 2018 after eight women raised allegations of inappropriate kissing, touching, and advances.

Franken apologized for his behavior, and quit before he could testify before the Senate Ethics Committee. An exhaustive investigation by The New Yorker cited seven lawmakers who said they regretted calling for Franken’s resignation without fully vetting the accusations.

In interviews, Franken, 73, has not ruled out another run for public office.

“I miss it terribly,” he said of the Senate, before nearly 1,300 people Monday who paid up to $89 for a seat.

Stile’s roundabout attempt to draw out Franken consisted of a remark about the irony of Democrats punishing “their people over allegations that haven’t been vetted or investigated,” while Republicans send a convicted felon to the White House.

Franken didn’t take the bait, pivoting to his disbelief over the confirmation of former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Drew’s promotion of the event on MPAC’s website promised wide-ranging, insightful, humorous political commentary.

It highlighted Franken’s 15 years with Saturday Night Live, numerous awards, his Senate advocacy for important issues, and his grilling of Jeff Sessions during confirmation hearings that resulted in Sessions’ recusal from, and Robert Mueller’s appointment to, the Russia investigation.

The lone reference to Franken’s departure from Capitol Hill made no mention of the circumstances: “As Franken said when he left the Senate, ‘I may be giving up my seat, but not my voice.’”

Morristown Green asked the university whether it has had to weigh topic-prohibition clauses from other Drew Forum speakers, who have included past and future presidents, Pulitzer Prize winners, and comedians. Drew did not respond.

New Jersey event promoter Don Jay Smith, who was not involved with Franken’s talk, said promoters and venues encounter these dilemmas from time to time. Usually, he said, it’s a bottom line decision.

“Basically it comes down to, ‘Are we going to make money, or is this going to be something that’s a loss leader?’ And if it’s a loser, then they’re not going to do it,” he said.

For transparency’s sake, Smith said, audiences should be informed in advance when a speaker places topics out of bounds. He suspects most people will “go to see him anyway.”

Not long ago, audience Q & A’s offered patrons an opportunity to ask tough questions without screening. Microphones have given way to written submissions — partly for of a dearth of tough questions, according to Kirchdoerffer, from MPAC.

“I think there are lots of times when you give audiences microphones, they go off on their own tangents and it’s often hard to pull them off the mic,” he said.

He recounted the late comedian Jerry Lewis begging a cavalcade of adoring fans to skip “I love you, Jerry!” and ask him questions.

Written submissions eliminate those situations. Many speakers want to be prepared, so they can think their answers through, Kirchdoerffer said.

“I’d say for the bigger name speakers this is almost standard operating procedure. They feel they are not there to discuss more controversial aspects of their lives.”