Tina Fey, the creator and executive producer of '30 Rock,' has called for NBCUniversal to remove multiple episodes of the show containing characters using blackface from all streaming services, according to reports. Fey and co-executive producer and showrunner, Robert Carlock, put forth the request in a statement published by Deadline on Monday.
Fey apologized for the episodes.
"As we strive to do the work and do better in regards to race in America, we believe that these episodes featuring actors in race-changing makeup are best taken out of circulation," Fey said in the statement.
"I understand now that intent; is not a free pass for white people to use these images. I apologize for pain they have caused. Going forward, no comedy-loving kid needs to stumble on these tropes and be stung by their ugliness. I thank NBCUniversal for honoring this request."
Among the episodes to be scrubbed is season 3 episode 2, "Believe In The Stars," season 5 episode 10, "Christmas Attack Zone," as well as season 6 episode 19, "Live from Studio 6H" and the east coast version of season 5 episode 4, The Live Show," according to the outlet.
NBCUniversal will remove the four episodes from its sales platform. They also will be pulled from Hulu, Amazon Prime, iTunes and Google Play by this week and will be removed from current runs.
The decision to remove these episodes comes amid nationwide tension that arose after George Floyd was killed while in police custody.
Protests have forced entertainment companies to re-evaluate the appropriateness of current and past productions and have led to HBO Max temporarily removing "Gone With the Wind" from its streaming library after receiving backlash for its portrayal of slave characters who remain loyal to their former owners after the abolition of slavery.
The Paramount Network also dropped the long-running reality series "Cops" after 33 seasons while BBC removed episodes of "Little Britain," a comedy series that featured a character in blackface, from its streaming service.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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