Amidst the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests in the US over the death of George Floyd in police custody, shows like The Office, The Simpsons and Family Guy have been making changes to their routines.
According to The Wrap, an episode of The Office on Season 9 has been edited to remove a scene where one of the characters engages in blackface. That original version of the episode has also been removed from Netflix.
“The Office is about a group of people trying to work together with mutual respect despite the inappropriate actions of their boss and assistant manager,” series creator Greg Daniels said in a statement to The Wrap. “The show employed satire to expose unacceptable behavior and deliver a message of inclusion. Today we cut a shot of an actor wearing blackface that was used to criticize a specific racist European practice. Blackface is unacceptable and making the point so graphically is hurtful and wrong. I am sorry for the pain that caused.”
As far as Family Guy is concerned, actor Mike Henry who voiced the character Cleveland Brown announced on Twitter that he would be no longer voicing the character. The show producers of The Simpsons in a short statement that white actors will no longer voice non-white characters.