“30 Rock” creator Tina Fey apologized for the “pain” caused by blackface sketches and requested that those episodes be pulled immediately.
“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,” a letter from the 50-year-old comedian and actress read, according to note obtained by Variety in a piece published Tuesday. (RELATED: FLASHBACK: Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel And Sarah Silverman All Wore Blackface)
Tina Fey requests “30 Rock” episodes with blackface be removed from streaming platforms https://t.co/m2x8z057u2
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 23, 2020
“I understand now that ‘intent’ is not a free pass for white people to use these images,” she added. “I apologize for pain they have caused.”(RELATED: Jimmy Kimmel Announces He’s Taking Time Off From His Late Night Comedy Show)
Fey’s letter continued, while noting that “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.”
An insider told the outlet four episodes of the hit NBC show will be taken out of circulation in streaming and syndication by the end of the week.
According to the report:
The episodes in question are “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, as well as “Live from Studio 6H” (season 6, episode 19), which featured Jon Hamm in blackface as part of an “Amos ‘n’ Andy” parody, and the East Coast version of “The Live Show” (season 5, episode 4).
It all comes following apologizes from such stars as late-night talk show hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon for past blackface sketches.