Ben Affleck Apologizes for PBS Slavery Censorship: 'I Was Embarrassed'

PBS

Ben Affleck has issued an apology and shed light on why he asked to have a slave-owning ancestor edited out of the PBS program “Finding Your Roots.”

In a statement posted on Facebook Tuesday, Affleck gave his take on the request to scrub his ancestry, which was revealed in the WikiLeaks archive of a leaked conversation between Sony Entertainment Chairman Michael Lynton and the genealogy show’s host and producer Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr.

“I didn’t want any television show about my family to include a guy who owned slaves. I was embarrassed. The very thought left a bad taste in my mouth,” Affleck wrote.

Also Read: PBS to Investigate Ben Affleck Slave-Owning Ancestry Whitewash

“Skip decided what went into the show. I lobbied him the same way I lobby directors about what takes of mine I think they should use. This is the collaborative creative process,” Affleck continued.

“Skip agreed with me on the slave owner but made other choices I disagreed with. In the end, it’s his show and I knew that going in. I’m proud to be his friend and proud to have participated.”

The email chain showed Gates and longtime friend Lynton discussing a request from the star to remove part of his family history.

Also Read: How PBS Censorship of Ben Affleck's Slave-Owning Ancestors Could Damage the Network

“For the first time, one of our guests has asked us to edit out something about one of his ancestors — the fact that he owned slaves,” Harvard scholar Gates said in the thread, sent in July 2014.

Lynton advised Gates to “take it out if no one knows, but if it gets out that you are editing the material based on this kind of sensitivity then it gets tricky. Again, all things being equal I would definitely take it out.”

But Gates worried that the censorship “would be a violation of PBS rules, actually, even for Batman.”

The episode aired without any reference to Affleck’s slave-owning ancestor. However, PBS announced Tuesday it would be investigating the matter.

Also Read: 11 Revelations From WikiLeaks' Sony Hack Emails

“PBS and WNET are conducting an internal review led by our respective programming teams of the circumstances around the ‘Finding Your Roots’ episode ‘Roots of Freedom,'” the public broadcasting network’s statement said.

“This matter came to PBS’ attention on Friday morning, April 17th. Professor (Henry Louis) Gates and his producers immediately responded to our initial questions. In order to gather the facts to determine whether or not all of PBS’ editorial standards were observed, on Saturday, April 18th, we began an internal review. We have been moving forward deliberately yet swiftly to conduct this review.”

Read Affleck’s full statement:

After an exhaustive search of my ancestry for “Finding Your Roots,” it was discovered that one of my distant relatives was an owner of slaves.

I didn’t want any television show about my family to include a guy who owned slaves. I was embarrassed. The very thought left a bad taste in my mouth.

Skip decided what went into the show. I lobbied him the same way I lobby directors about what takes of mine I think they should use. This is the collaborative creative process. Skip agreed with me on the slave owner but made other choices I disagreed with. In the end, it’s his show and I knew that going in. I’m proud to be his friend and proud to have participated.

It’s important to remember that this isn’t a news program. Finding Your Roots is a show where you voluntarily provide a great deal of information about your family, making you quite vulnerable. The assumption is that they will never be dishonest but they will respect your willingness to participate and not look to include things you think would embarrass your family.

I regret my initial thoughts that the issue of slavery not be included in the story. We deserve neither credit nor blame for our ancestors and the degree of interest in this story suggests that we are, as a nation, still grappling with the terrible legacy of slavery. It is an examination well worth continuing. I am glad that my story, however indirectly, will contribute to that discussion. While I don’t like that the guy is an ancestor, I am happy that aspect of our country’s history is being talked about.

Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck Is Batman: 16 Actors Who Played the Dark Knight Before Him (Photos)

Lewis G. Wilson:Â The first actor to play the Dark Knight in Columbia Pictures' 15-episode TV series, "Batman." As the United States had just entered the second World War, Batman's nemesis was a Japanese spy called Dr. Daka, whose plan was to take over the U.S. through a group of American traitors. Wilson died in 2000.
Robert Lowery:Â In 1949, Lowery took over for Wilson in the sequel series, "Batman and Robin." Fun fact: he grew up on Wayne Avenue in Kansas City pursuing Hollywood stardom. He died in 1971.
Adam West: For an entire generation, West is Batman, thanks to his turn on the iconic TV series that ran from 1966 to 1968 and spawned a film. West's halting delivery and campy earnestness are a far cry from today's Dark Knight, but his Bruce Wayne stands as one of the most beloved portrayals.
Olan Soule:Â The character actor, with hundreds of film credits to his name, was the main voice actor for the animated "Batman" from 1968 to 1984. He voiced the Dark Knight in several iterations of the character, from "Scooby Doo" to "Sesame Street" and several "Super Friends" cartoons.
Michael Keaton:Â When cast as Batman in Tim Burton's 1989 film, fans wrote to Warner Bros. in protest. But to their surprise, his darkly comic portrayal clicked, and Keaton stayed on for "Batman Returns" and was supposed to be in a third -- but dropped out when Burton did.
Kevin Conroy: Although they never saw his face, Conroy is regarded by fans as one of the finest voices Batman and Bruce Wayne ever had during his tenure as the DC superhero, which began in 1992 with "Batman: The Animated Series." He also lent his voice to Batman in a number of animated movies and video games.
Val Kilmer: Kilmer took over for Keaton in Joel Schumacher's "Batman Forever," a box office hit that received mixed reviews. He opted not to return for the next sequel, "Batman and Robin," because he believed his heroic character was marginalized in favor of the villains. Looking back on Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze, he may have been right.
George Clooney: The then TV-star stepped up to the plate when Kilmer backed out and has regretted it ever since. "Batman and Robin" was critically panned and didn't do nearly as well at the box office as its predecessor did. Also? Nipples.
Bruce Thomas: This actor first portrayed the Dark Knight in a series of OnStar commercials that aired between 2000 and 2002, then reprised the role for WB's short-lived TV series, "Birds of Prey."
Rino Romano: The voice actor, who has also voiced Spider-Man, provided Bruce Wayne and Batman's chatter in animated series, "The Batman," which ran from 2004 to 2008 on Cartoon Network.
Christian Bale: Christopher Nolan cast Bale as the vigilante in 2005's "Batman Begins," a welcome reboot to the franchise that lead to spectacular sequel, "The Dark Knight," and another massive hit, "The Dark Knight Rises."
William Baldwin: He was on the shortlist to play the billionaire-turned-superhero in "Batman Forever," but lost the role to Kilmer. Over a decade later, he voiced the character in 2010 animated movie "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths."
Bruce Greenwood: The veteran actor, who most recently appeared on the big screen in "Star Trek Into Darkness," voiced Batman in 2010 animated feature "Batman: Under the Red Hood," as well as animated television series "Young Justice."
Ben McKenzie:Â The "Southland" and "The O.C." star voiced Batman for "Batman: Year One," a 2011 animated film based on the four-issue comics run of the same name from 1987. It was released on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download.
Peter Weller: The 66-year-old "RoboCop" actor voiced an aging Batman in "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns," a two-part animated movie released in December, and then January. Based on a 1986 comic book story arc by Frank Miller, the film followed Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham to after a 10-year hiatus.
Anthony Ruivivar: The "Southland" star is the latest actor to voice Batman in the newest animated series, "Beware the Batman," which began airing on Cartoon Network earlier this summer. Unlike earlier cartoon incarnations of the Dark Knight, "Beware the Batman" is entirely computer animated.