How TV platforms and producers are handling old episodes with blackface and other outdated, insensitive content
On Friday, “The Office” proved how far some older shows will go to wipe their slate clean of racially insensitive material, by re-editing one of its episodes to remove a scene featuring a character in blackface. That came the same week that other sitcoms — including “Community” “Scrubs” and “30 Rock” — all had episodes pulled that included characters in blackface.
Those subtractions come amid a larger push that has forced the producers and distributors of older shows to re-evaluate their content for things that may have seemed fine years ago, but look badly outdated in 2020. The decision to pull or re-edit episodes, or in some cases add a disclaimer, is often a collaborative one. At least, that’s the desirable approach.

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Also Read: 'The Office' Season 9 Christmas Episode Re-Edited to Remove Blackface Scene (Exclusive)
One somewhat regular check-up on old material tends to occur when series get licensed for another life on a new platform. Then, old episodes need to be rechecked for numerous reasons, including music rights, according to one industry insider. At that time, socially problematic issues can arise and the episode(s) in question can be re-edited if need be, and in extreme cases, pulled.
Through corporate processes like these, most of the truly problematic stuff would have been removed (quietly) years ago. “Saturday Night Live,” which has been around since 1975, is a good example of this. The culture has changed so much in the last 45 years that what was acceptable as edgy art in the early days might not be in 2020. But because Lorne Michaels’ show has existed on so many platforms (like the short-lived SeeSo, and soon, Peacock), some “Saturday Night Live” library material that wouldn’t fly in the current climate hasn’t actually been available for many years.
Examples of such previously scrubbed material include Jimmy Fallon doing a Chris Rock impersonation in blackface in 2000, and the Chevy Chase-Richard Pryor job interview sketch from the ’70s, in which Chase uses the n-word and other racial epithets during a word-association round. Those can both be found in ripped form on YouTube, but the skits do not exist within the archives of official “SNL” licensing partnerships.
Also Read: Netflix Pulls 'Community' Episode 'Advanced Dungeons & Dragons' Due to Blackface Scenes (Exclusive)
In 2020, social media sometimes knows of a problem before a platform does. Want to get the attention of a network executive? Make an old show trend for all the wrong reasons. Along with “Scrubs,” late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel have been called out for previous instances of wearing blackface. In recent weeks, the list of shows that have either been taken down completely or shed specific episodes includes “W/ Bob and David,” Chris Lilley’s “Summer Heights High,” “Angry Boys,” “We Can Be Heroes” and “Jonah From Tonga,” and British comedies like “Fawlty Towers” and “Little Britain.”
And then there are the self-policing producers. On Monday, Tina Fey and partner Robert Carlock took it upon themselves to reach out to each platform where their sitcom “30 Rock” is available, including Hulu and Amazon Prime, and ask that four episodes be taken down. When “Scrubs” creator Bill Lawrence was asked on Twitter if he would follow suit, he replied it was already in the works. One day later, those episodes were removed.
“Office” creator Greg Daniels went the extra mile by removing a scene in the hopes that the episode in question could still remain. “We cut a shot of an actor wearing blackface that was used to criticize a specific racist European practice,” Daniels told TheWrap. “Blackface is unacceptable and making the point so graphically is hurtful and wrong. I am sorry for the pain that caused.”
Also Read: 3 'Scrubs' Episodes Featuring Blackface Pulled From Streaming (Exclusive)
When it comes time to yank entire episodes, the platform distributing the series prefers to let producers make the official request to remove potentially offensive material. In most cases, the platform is (generally) paying for the opportunity to offer the program to subscribers and doesn’t own or control the content. The platform would prefer the tough decision be a collaborative one with open communication between the parties.
With “Community,” it was Netflix who made the call to pull an episode of the former NBC comedy that had a character in blackface, an individual with knowledge of the decision told TheWrap. “Community” producer Sony Pictures TV declined to comment.
There are, of course, some exceptions to including everyone in the decision-making process. When Bill Cosby was accused — and then later convicted — of sexual assault, it was clear that presenting “The Cosby Show” to subscribers was just a bad idea. Hulu, which had the streaming rights, did not completely dump the series, though the service ceased promoting the classic sitcom to users and including it on any watch lists. While Hulu let the rights expire, “The Cosby Show” was still technically available for anyone who specifically searched for it. (Amazon Prime never pulled the series, where it’s still available today).
Then there’s the case of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” the long-running sitcom that features blackface in a Season 6 episode. Last week, Netflix, which owns the “Sunny” rights overseas, pulled the episode — but it’s still available on Hulu, which has the streaming rights to the FX comedy stateside.
Also Read: Tina Fey Pulls 4 '30 Rock' Episodes From Circulation, Apologizes for Blackface Use
Both Hulu and FX are owned by Disney, and the parent company has tied to the two brands with the launch of “FX on Hulu.” That gives Hulu and FX even more reason to try to make a mutually agreed-upon decision — if creator and co-star Rob McElhenney doesn’t make it for them. Representatives for McElhenney did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
At press time, the episode was still up on the FX on Hulu site.
Instead of pulling content altogether, some platforms may prefer to put a thoughtful disclaimer on a property, as HBO Max did with “Gone With the Wind.” The streamer pulled the 1939 film, which has long been criticized for its sympathetic portrayal of the Antebellum South, two weeks ago. On Wednesday, the Oscar-winning drama returned with a video disclaimer and two short videos that discuss the historical context of the film.
Disney+ has also featured a disclaimer that read “outdated cultural depictions” on some of its decades-old content. But the call to feature disclaimers to pull insensitive material outright really depends on the level of offense — and outcry.
Jenny Maas contributed to this story.
15 Stars Whose Blackface Blunders Backfired, From Ted Danson to Jimmy Kimmel (Photos)
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Don't even think of mimicking these celebrities.
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Joni Mitchell The singer posed in blackface on the cover of her album "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" in 1977, and later went on to justify it by saying, "I have experienced being a Black guy."
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Ted Danson The "Cheers" star appeared at a New York Friars Club Roast in 1993 with then-girlfriend Whoopi Goldberg wearing blackface makeup to perform an offensive N-word-filled comedy routine.
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Tom Hanks The Oscar-winning actor came under fire in 2012 when video surfaced of a 2004 school fundraiser featuring Hanks and another man wearing blackface and stereotypical African clothing. Hanks later condemned the bit as "horribly offensive."
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Jane Krakowski The actress appeared in blackface in two episodes of the 2006-13 sitcom "30 Rock," in one case dressing as a Black man while co-star Tracy Morgan, who is African American, appeared as a white woman. Series creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock pulled the episodes from circulation in 2020.NBC
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Tyra Banks The host of "America's Next Top Model" took heat, as did her show, for a photo shoot in 2009 in which competing models were made to look "biracial." Styling techniques included the darkening of contestants' skin.
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Paula Deen Following the epicure's ouster from the Food Network in the wake of her infamous N-word controversy, Deen posted a photo on Twitter from her show's 2011 Halloween episode featuring her son, Bobby, dressed as Ricky Ricardo, complete with brownface makeup.
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Beyoncé The diva took heat for a 2011 L'Officiel Paris cover with an "African Queen" theme for which the pop star's skin was darkened.
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Jon Hamm In a 2012 episode of "30 Rock," Hamm teamed with Tracy Morgan to re-create a parody version of a dated old TV show modeled on the stereotype-laden "Amos and Andy." Hamm doesn't so much blacken his face as dirty it, but the episode proved so problematic that creator Tina Fey pulled it from circulation in 2020.NBC
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Julianne Hough The singer/dancer/actress drew criticism over a 2013 Halloween costume for which she donned dark makeup to masquerade as Uzo Aduba's "Orange Is the New Black" character Crazy Eyes.LAX/X17online.com
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Shane Dawson The YouTuber known for his outrageous characters in 2014 was forced to apologize for the use of blackface in some of his videos, including a parody of talk show host Wendy Williams.
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Kylie Jenner Fans of the reality star jumped all over a photo she posted to her Instagram account from a 2015 shoot, outraged that her skin appeared to be darkened. "This is a black light and neon lights people lets all calm down," Jenner responded.
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Luann de Lesseps The former countess and "Real Housewives of New York" star apologized for her 2017 Halloween costume as Diana Ross -- even though she insisted that she didn't actually do blackface. "I had bronzer on that I wear normally like the rest of my skin," she later told Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens Live." "So I didn’t add anything to or would ever, ever dream of doing a blackface. Ever."
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Oliver Peck The longtime "Inkmasters" star announced he was departing the show in 2020 after an old photo resurfaced of him wearing blackface while portraying an NBA player.
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Jimmy Fallon The late-night host came under fire for a 2000 "Saturday Night Live" sketch in which he impersonated former "SNL" cast member Chris Rock -- in full makeup.NBC
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Jimmy Kimmel In June 2020, ABC late-night host apologized for a series of sketches from earlier in his career when he darkened his skin to impersonate Black stars such as NBA player Karl Malone and Oprah Winfrey. "I apologize to those who were genuinely hurt or offended by the makeup I wore or the words I spoke,” he said of the sketches from "The Man Show" which he co-hosted from 1999-2003.Comedy Central
These celebrities offer a timely reminder that it’s never OK — so don’t try it
Tony Maglio
TV Editor • tony.maglio@thewrap.com • Twitter: @tonymaglio
Tim Baysinger
TV reporter • tim.baysinger@thewrap.com • Twitter: @tim_bays