30 ROCK and SCRUBS Episodes That Include Actors in Blackface Being Scrubbed From Internet and Streaming
We are in the middle of a sort of awakening in America right now, where people are taking ownership of past mistakes and trying to make good on walking the walk of racial justice. In the past, many entertainment sources on television and film made choices that would not fly these days, and instead of claiming ignorance, or good intent, many TV and film makers are doing what they can to kick out the old mistakes and create a dialogue around why.
Following the example of shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 30 Rock and Scrubs have recognized that there are episodes in their series that include jokes having to do with actors in blackface. The creators of these series have decided to erase the presence of these episodes from their streaming services and the internet, so they will not air, and cannot be stumbled upon when watching their series in the future. This is just an unacceptable and outdated practice that is offensive, and it’s time to call it out. Tina Fey, star and creator of 30 Rock, wrote a letter to NBC that states:
“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. 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.”
In the wake of Gone With the Wind being briefly removed from HBOMax, then put back with a disclaimer about the slaves depicted in the story, it’s good that people are having these conversations. I think maybe the same could be done with the episodes of these shows, but like Fey said, these aren’t jokes they want to have live on, and they don’t want to alienate future viewers.
When you know better, you do better. And it’s great that we are learning from past mistakes and fixing them moving forward.