Popular AMC period-drama “Mad Men” will be returning to streaming thanks to a deal with Amazon. Given the current race riots in America, the show’s episode containing a character appearing in blackface would quickly come under fire, so production company Lionsgate jumped ahead of the eventual backlash by stating it would provide a content warning about the episode but would not edit out the scene.
The scene in question involves Roger Sterling (John Slattery) appearing in blackface, but it will not be edited out because Lionsgate wants to show “how commonplace racism was in America in 1963.”
“This episode contains disturbing images related to race in America. One of the characters is shown in blackface as part of an episode that shows how commonplace racism was in America in 1963. In its reliance on historical authenticity, the series producers are committed to exposing the injustices and inequities within our society that continue to this day so we can examine even the most painful parts of our history in order to reflect on who we are today and who we want to become. We are therefore presenting the original episode in its entirety,” Lionsgate said in a statement to Deadline.
Fox News reported that “Mad Men” was acclaimed “for its period-appropriate look and writing, often portraying overt acts of sexism and racism that were not considered problematic in the 1960s.” The decision by Lionsgate to keep the scene is in keeping with this theme.
The outlet further reported that the Lionsgate announcement comes as other TV shows have removed episodes containing characters in blackface.
“Tina Fey requested that NBCUniversal remove an episode of her show ‘30 Rock’ that featured a character in blackface. Meanwhile, Hulu announced it’s removing an episode of the ‘Golden Girls’ while an episode of ‘The Office’ has been edited for all streaming platforms and syndication to remove a joke containing a character in blackface,” Fox reported.
As The Daily Wire’s Joe Curl previously reported, Fey apologized for the episodes after she asked they be removed.
“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,” she wrote in a letter to streaming services and those that sold the show. “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.”
In addition to TV shows coming under fire for past blackface indiscretions, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel apologized after a backlash over an old sketch where he wore blackface.
“We hired makeup artists to make me look as much like Karl Malone as possible. I never considered that this might be seen as anything other than an imitation of a fellow human being, one that had no more to do with Karl’s skin color than it did his bulging muscles and bald head. I’ve done dozens of impressions of famous people, including Snoop Dogg, Oprah, Eminem, Dick Vitale, Rosie, and many others. In each case, I thought of them as impersonations of celebrities and nothing more,” Kimmel wrote in a statement of apology.
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