When MTV Was Still Yours

There was a time MTV Europe actually meant something. Not in the vague nostalgic way people say that about things they barely remember—it genuinely fought: against AIDS, against the mainstream, against the idea that being young and confused was something to be ashamed of. It made you feel less alone, even at 2 in the morning through a television screen.

Sarah Kuttner’s show was part of that. I didn’t catch every episode—sometimes it was strange, sometimes slow—but it was one of those things you’re glad exists just by knowing it does. A show that felt like it was on your side. That didn’t just mirror youth culture back at you but pushed against the people writing the checks, including MTV itself.

And now MTV has cut her. The same MTV that floods its airtime with ringtone ads, moves behind a paywall, and fires the people who made it worth anything.

Sarah, whatever comes next: make it count. Don’t let anyone use you as cultural decor. If there’s any justice, you’ll end up running something worth watching.