‘Golden Girls’ Becomes Latest Sitcom To Pull An Episode Featuring Blackface
The Golden Girls has become the latest television series to have episodes removed from streaming for featuring characters in blackface, according to Variety. The show is currently available to stream in full on Hulu, but the provider has scrubbed the episode titled “Mixed Feelings” from its catalog.
“Mixed Feelings” first aired in 1988 as part of the acclaimed sitcom’s third season. Dorothy’s son, Michael, announced he was planning to get married to an older Black woman named Lorraine. Dorothy felt the age difference was inappropriate, while Lorraine’s family felt uncomfortable with the interracial relationship.
Working together, the two families attempted to stop the couple from tying the knot.
When Lorraine’s family shows, it happens to be at the same time that Rose and Blanche were trying on mud masks. While chatting with the family, the two women comment on the masks.
“This is mud on our faces, we’re not really Black.”
Variety reported that aside from The Golden Girls, other popular shows like 30 Rock, Community, and Scrubs have all had episodes pulled from their respective streaming services.
Some shows, like The Office, have just had certain scenes removed, such as one in which a character sports blackface during “Dwight Christmas.”
Netflix removed the entirety of Little Britain for having multiple scenes featuring blackface throughout its run.
The outlet indicated that Hulu had not yet made any official comment about the episode’s removal.
On social media, many fans have questioned why the entire episode was removed instead of just having the offensive scene edited out. A few people noted that the overall episode had a powerful message of unity.
Others agreed with the overall sentiment of removing episodes featuring blackface but did not feel that “Mixed Feelings” applied since they argued it did not show anything racist; instead, it was just two characters trying out a mud mask treatment. Some compared it to the popular trend of using charcoal-based beauty products.
“It wasn’t black face. Taking way the episode takes away the message it was portraying. It was mud from a beauty routine,” said one person.
“OK, I just watched this episode! Hilarious! Poignant! An episode about overcoming our differences. A message for our world right now. We have lost our collective minds!” another fan wrote.
Roxane Gay also chimed in on her Twitter that the episode was not blackface. You can read her tweet here.
Gay agreed with a response to her tweet that alleged that the episode was removed to create “a passive aggressive stab at the movement under the guise of being sensitive. They want people to think the movement is overdramatic and seeing things that aren’t there. And so the gaslighting begins.” That comment can be seen here.
