In the midst of a global course-correction with regard to how the black community is portrayed by the entertainment industry, 30 ROCK creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, alongside the show's owner NBCUniversal, have requested that a total of four episodes of the series be removed from streaming services on account of them featuring characters who appear in blackface.
Fey, who also stars as the show's central character, Liz Lemon, sent a note to platforms that host the show, Variety reports, saying that the episodes in question are “best taken out of circulation” and that she apologizes on behalf of the show “for pain they have caused.”
“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. 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,” Fey wrote to the streamers involved.
While the requested episodes have already been pulled from both Amazon and Hulu, other streamers are expected to have removed them by the end of the week. Additionally, the episodes will no longer air as reruns on television, nor will they be available for purchase via iTunes and Google Play.
The episodes that are set to be removed include “Believe In The Stars” (season 3, episode 2) and “Christmas Attack Zone” (season 5, episode 10), both of which featured Jane Krakowski’s character Jenna in blackface, in addition to “Live from Studio 6H” (season 6, episode 19), which featured Jon Hamm in blackface as part of an “Amos ‘n’ Andy” parody sketch. Lastly, “The Live Show” (season 5, episode 4) will also be ousted from streaming service libraries.