On Monday, word broke that four episodes of 30 Rock had been removed from various streamers because they featured blackface. It wasn’t the first show to undergo that change as protests continue to erupt all over the nation, and it won’t be the last. Indeed, as per Deadline, Scrubs is receiving similar treatment by Hulu.
Three episodes from the beloved aughts hospital comedy have left the service: the Season 3 episode “My Fifteen Seconds,” and two from Season 5, namely “My Jiggly Ball” and “My Chopped Liver.” The episodes feature blackface appearances from stars Zach Braff and Sarah Chalke.
The move came a day after Bill Lawrence, who created Scrubs, replied to someone on Twitter, reacting to news of the pulled 30 Rock episodes, asked that the same happen to his own program. He wrote “Agreed. Already in the works.”
Agreed. Already in the works.
— Bill Lawrence (@VDOOZER) June 23, 2020
Well, that was fast.
The killing of George Floyd in late May has inspired a nationwide reckoning over not only what is seen as police brutality aimed unequally at black people, but also at racial inequality in general. That’s caused people to dig up old movies, shows, sketch comedy bits, and television appearances that feature racially insensitive material. It also inspired Jenny Slate, who is white, to retire from voicing the character Missy, who is biracial, on Netflix’s animated comedy Big Mouth, saying, “Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people.”
(Via Deadline)
