’30 Rock’ Episodes Featuring Blackface Pulled From Streaming, Four Episodes In Total Removed
On Monday, Vulture broke the news that four episodes of popular NBC sitcom 30 Rock would have multiple episodes containing blackface removed from streaming services and syndicated reruns.
Tina Fey, the creator and lead actress of the Emmy Award-winning series, penned a letter to the streaming services that currently run episodes of 30 Rock.
“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.”
She concluded her statement by apologizing for any “pain” the episodes might have caused and added that her decision was motivated by keeping that “ugliness” away from any kids that could stumble upon the episodes. She thanked NBCUniversal for agreeing to her request.
At least two of the episodes have already been taken down from Hulu and Amazon Prime. They are no longer available for purchase from digital platforms such as Google Play and iTunes. According to the article, they will also not be shown on television anymore either.
As mentioned above, the request came from Fey and her 30 Rock co-creator Robert Carlock, and the network approved their request.
Among the episodes being removed include two different episodes that included Jane Krakowski’s character Jenna Maroney wearing blackface. One season three episode titled, “Believe in the Stars,” featured a subplot with Jenna and Tracy Morgan’s character Tracy Jordan attempting to trade identities to see if Black men or white women faced more discrimination.
In Season 5, Jenna again donned blackface in the episode “Christmas Attack Zone.” She dressed up as Lynn Swann, the former member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Guest star Jon Hamm also wore blackface on the show during a live episode in Season 6 as part of a parody of the “racist radio and TV show Amos ‘n’ Andy.” That episode will also be removed.
The fourth episode to be taken down one of the show’s first-ever live episodes. However, only the East Coast version will be removed, while the West Coast version will stay put.
According to Vulture, the reasons for this episode’s removal are less clear, and the outlet is looking to discover the reasoning behind the decision. It is believed it could be due to a reference to the “baseless birther conspiracy” pushed by “far-right politicians, including Donald Trump” against former President Barack Obama.
A source indicated that it could take until the end of the week for all four of the episodes to be permanently scrubbed from all available platforms.
Last week, The Inquisitr reported that 30 Rock would return for a special one-hour revival that will also double as an upfront presentation for NBCUniversal and their many networks.
