Episodes of Community and The Golden Girls Featuring Blackface Have Been Removed From Streaming Services

Community andThe Golden Girls have become the latest sitcoms to have their blackface episodes purged from streaming services. Netflix and Hulu initiated the Community removal, cutting the Season 2 episode "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons," in which Ken Jeong's character Ben Chang dons full-body black makeup. Hulu also removed "Mixed Feelings," a Season 3 episode of The Golden Girls, which features Rose (Betty White) and Blanche (Rue McClanahan) testing out mud masks and saying the line, "This is mud on our faces, we're not really Black."

Additionally,The Officecreator Greg Daniels issued a statement regarding a blackface scene from Season 9's "Dwight Christmas," which has since been edited out of the episode. "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," Daniels said. "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."

These shows are just the latest to retroactively act on their portrayals of blackface. Tina Fey recently requested that four episodes of 30 Rockfeaturing characters wearing blackface be pulled from streaming services and syndication, saying that, "Going forward, no comedy-loving kid needs to stumble on these tropes and be stung by their ugliness." Hulu also removed episodes of Little Britain in which the characters are shown in blackface, and an episode of the sketch show W/ Bob & David that featured David Cross in blackface was removed from Netflix as well.

Currently airing shows are taking steps toward correcting mistakes, too. Last week, Jenny Slate, Kristen Bell, and Mike Henry all announced that they would no longer voice Black characters on Big Mouth, Central Park, andFamily Guy, and The Simpsons issued an official statement stating that the show would stop hiring white actors to provide the voices for non-white characters.

Black lives matter. Text DEMANDS to 55156 to sign Color of Change's petition to reform policing, and visit blacklivesmatter.carrd.co for more ways to donate, sign petitions, and protest safely.