racism
Scrubs Blackface Episodes Pulled from Hulu at Creator’s Request
Scrubs has some literal scrubbing to do. As Variety reports, show creator Bill Lawrence and ABC themselves are pulling multiple episodes featuring characters in blackface from Hulu. There are three episodes of Scrubs in total with various characters in blackface: “My Fifteen Seconds” (season 3, episode 7), “My Jiggly Ball” (season 5, episode 4), and “My Chopped Liver” (season 5, episode 17). In one of them, Zach Braff, who plays the show’s lead character, wears blackface at a party. In another, Sarah Chalke’s character is in blackface during a dream sequence. Lawrence confirmed that Scrubs episodes were being removed after being tagged in a tweet about 30 Rock taking down its own blackface episodes from streaming networks and syndication. When asked if Scrubs could do the same, L...
HBO Max Restores Gone With the Wind, With Historical Disclaimer
Two weeks after HBO Max pulled Gone With the Wind, the Oscar-winning film has returned to the platform, with a new historical disclaimer in tow. The 1939 film is the recipient of ten Academy Awards, and ranks as the highest-grossing motion picture in American history (adjusted to inflation). Yet, in the eyes of some, the film’s depiction of Black characters as racist stereotypes who are cheerfully and gratefully subservient to the white characters is untenable in modern day America. On June 10th, HBO Max announced it was temporarily removing Gone With the Wind until the film could be prefaced by “a discussion of its historical context and a denouncement” of its ethnic and racial prejudices.” Such a discussion has now been added in the form of a four-minute featurette w...
30 Rock Blackface Episodes Pulled at Tina Fey’s Request
30 Rock is about to get slimmer. As Variety reports, creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock alongside NBCUniversal have requested that multiple episodes featuring characters in blackface be removed from streaming networks and syndication. “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 explained in a statement obtained by Variety. “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.” As Vulture notes, Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) appe...
AFI to Host Live Conversation with Spike Lee, Stream Do The Right Thing for Free
Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing will be honored this week by the American Film Institute. The 1989 Oscar-nominated masterpiece has been named their latest Movie Club selection, and to celebrate, they’ll be speaking to the director himself. “AFI Movie Club’s global reach has inspired the need for more thoughtful discussions about films that have shaped our culture,” said CEO Bob Gazzale. “Do The Right Thing is a timeless and timely classic, and Spike Lee has forever proven himself the voice for change that we need now more than ever. We would like to thank our partners at Universal for their essential support in educating and inspiring audiences around the world.” The conversation goes down this Thursday, June 25 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT via the AFI YouTube channel. In anticipation,...
Heavy Culture: Musicians Recount Early Experiences of Racism
Heavy Culture is a monthly column from journalist Liz Ramanand, focusing on artists of different cultural backgrounds in heavy music as they offer their perspectives on race, society, and more as it intersects with and affects their music. The latest installment of this column features multiple rock and metal musicians recounting their early experiences of racism. Racism is real. Colorism is real. Implicit biases are real. Injustice is real. It is rooted in ignorance. As a Caribbean woman, the first time I experienced racism was a vivid memory in the first grade. A white, female classmate, the same age as me — about 6 or 7 years old — told me I was dirty, ugly, and that I did not deserve the new stationery my mom bought for me. Even as a child, I felt that this classmate had disdain for me...
Howard Stern Responds to Donald Trump Jr. Bringing Up Old Blackface Sketch
Howard Stern and Donald Trump Jr. Howard Stern used to be close buds with Donald Trump, having him and members of his family as guests on his show numerous times over the years. His alliances have clearly changed, as he’s called Trump’s initial campaign for president a publicity stunt while also encouraging his supporters to drink bleach. That turn of opinion has raised the ire of Donald Trump Jr., who called Stern out over the weekend for an old bit he did in which he wore blackface and used the n-word repeatedly. Now, the shock jock has responded on his SiriusXM morning show. For context, the 1993 sketch in question aired during a New Year’s Eve pay-per-view special. Stern was lampooning Ted Danson, who had worn blackface to a Friar’s Club roast with his then-girlfrie...
Penny Lane from The Beatles Song “in Danger of Being Renamed” over Possible Slavery Ties
As the Black Lives Matter movement continues to surge worldwide, citizens and governments alike are being forced to reconsider monuments to heritages of racism. In America, everyone from GWAR to Taylor Swift is calling for the removal of confederate statues, with one petition proposing they be replaced with ones of Dolly Parton. Meanwhile, over in Liverpool, England, folks are seeking to rename the famed Penny Lane — immortalized in the classic song by The Beatles — over its purported connection to the slave trade. It seems many believe the road was named for James Penny, a slave merchant who spoke against abolition in Parliament. Last week, as protests over racial injustice and inequality gripped the country, signs for the street were defaced and graffitied, with “racist” being sprayed ab...
Netflix Pulls The Mighty Boosh Over Blackface
In more signs that the times, they are a-changin’, streaming services have recently been purging themselves of movies and shows that depict racist or otherwise problematic characters. The latest such shift comes from Netflix, which has yanked British comedy show The Mighty Boosh because of a blackface character named The Spirit of Jazz. Portrayed by Noel Fielding (co-presenter on The Great British Bakeoff), The Spirit of Jazz appeared in a handful of episodes during The Mighty Boosh’s three-series run from 2004 to 2007. Described as the ghost of Howlin’ Jimmy Jefferson, the character saw Fielding painting his face black with white skeleton-like highlights, speaking in a New Orleans accent, and wearing a dreadlocked wig under a tall, white top hat. It’s far from the only problemat...
John Cleese Calls Removal of Fawlty Towers Episode That Uses N-Word “Stupid”
As a wave of media companies are pulling content that could be deemed offensively racist, the BBC-owned UKTV has removed a classic episode of the sitcom Fawlty Towers for its use of racial slurs. The show’s star and writer John Cleese has spoken out against the removal, saying executives trying “to hang onto their jobs” are “too stupid to see that” the episode was mocking the derogatory language, not supporting it. In the episode, entitled “The Germans”, Cleese’s Basil Fawlty has a conversation with Ballard Berkeley’s Major Gowen. The Major recalls a time he took a woman to a cricket game played by an Indian team, during which he uses racial epithets when referring to Indians (“w*gs”) and West Indians (“n*ggers”). While the episode is remembered fondly for its repetition of the phrase “don...
Blac Chyna Accuses NBC Of Racism In Relation To ‘Rob & Chyna’ Reality Show
Source: Neilson Barnard / Getty Back in 2017, Blac Chyna launched a lawsuit against the sprawling Kardashian clan after alleging that they interfered with her former show, Rob & Chyna, leading to its cancellation. In a new statement, Chyna is accusing NBC of racism and that if she were white, the claims made by Kris Jenner that she beat Rob Kardashian would have been investigated and found false. Page Six reports that Blac Chyna’s legal team issued a statement accusing NBCUniversal of canceling her reality series with her ex-boyfriend and father of her daughter after Ms. Jenner informed the network of violent episodes behind the scenes. Chyna is standing firm on pushing back against the allegations made by Jenner and Kardashian and is adding a new wrinkle to the matter. From Page Six: ...
Republic Records Will No Longer Use the Word “Urban” to Describe Music
In a move that could be described as woefully overdue, Republic Records will stop using the term “urban” as a synonym for hip-hop, R&B, and other music pioneered by black artists. Republic is the home of such artists as The Weeknd, James Blake, Taylor Swift, and Ariana Grande. In a social media statement, the label indicated that, “Effective immediately, Republic Records will remove “Urban” from our verbiage in describing departments, employee titles and music genres.” The post continued, “We encourage the rest of the music industry to follow suit as it is important to shape the future of what we want it to look like, and not adhere to the outdated structures of the past.” Via Billboard, the term “urban” comes from legendary black DJ Frankie Crocker, who developed the urban ...
#BlackLivesMatter: How You Can Help From Home Locally & Nationally
Source: David Woods / Radio One Indianapolis The racist deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black people caused protesters in cities across the country to pour into the streets and demand justice in the midst of a global pandemic. We put together a list of vetted organizations that do on-the-ground work and other credible resources including bail funds, petitions, and contacts that you can use to help make a difference in this fight for justice and against racism and oppression. National Resources Black Lives Matter: The national movement that builds power to bring justice, healing, and freedom to Black people across the globe. Bail Fund Networks National Bail Fund Network: The National Bail Fund Network is made up of over sixty community ba...
