【2001 Archives】

Tina Fey001 Archives fellow 30 Rock creator Robert Carlock, and NBC Universal have asked that four episodes of the show featuring white characters in Blackface be pulled from streaming and syndication.

News of the request comes in the form of a note reportedly penned by Fey and obtained by Variety. The brief, one-paragraph statement is blunt in its acknowledgment of the fact that Blackface isn't something white creators can surface in their work without causing pain.

The note, which thanks NBC for taking action, also seems to suggest that the idea of pulling the episodes originated with Fey and Carlock:

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.

The episodes in question are "Believe in the Stars" (Season 3, episode 2), the East Coast version of "The Live Show" (Season 5, episode 4), "Christmas Attack Zone" (Season 5, episode 10), and "Live from Studio 6H" (Season 6, episode 19). Two of the moments feature Jane Krakowski's character Jenna Maroney in Blackface and two feature guest star Jon Hamm.

I checked myself on the U.S. version of Hulu and all four of those episodes are gone, though the West Coast version of "The Live Show" (which doesn't include the same moment as the other version) is still available.

The removal of the four 30 Rockepisodes is only the latest example of an ongoing reckoning in Hollywood. Gone with the Windwas also temporarily removed from the HBO Max streaming platform. Elsewhere, police-centric programming on TV is facing an upheaval as long-lived reality shows get canceled and actors wrestle with their complicity in supporting a narrative of cops as unassailable "good guys."

It's all part of a bigger picture change that's underway. Studios and creators in general are coming to terms with their own racially insensitive creations from the past, and the role those things have played in contributing to an overall environment of systemic racism as people all across the U.S. (and the world) march in support of racial equality.

All of which is to say: don't be surprised if you see more efforts like this one to scrub Blackface from the cable and streaming airwaves. Some might argue that there's value in preserving history, but Fey's note actually raises a worthwhile counter to that point: "[N]o comedy-loving kid needs to stumble on these tropes and be stung by their ugliness."

Context matters. These episodes are (were) available without any context explaining the environment in which they were created. If they do re-surface one day, you can bet they'll be accompanied – rightly! – by that necessary context.