The office Creator Greg Daniels cut a black-face scene from a 2012 episode, calling the racist trope “unacceptable” even when used as satire.
In a statement today, Daniels said: “The office It is a group of people who try to work together with mutual respect despite the inappropriate actions of their boss and assistant manager. The show used satire to expose unacceptable behavior and deliver a message of inclusion. Today we cut out a photo of a black-faced actor that was used to criticize a specific racist European practice. Blackface is unacceptable and making the point so graphically is hurtful and wrong. I regret the pain it caused. “
The deleted scene from the 2012 Christmas episode involves Dwight by Rainn Wilson dressed up for a Christmas party as Belsnickel, a Dutch folklore character from Pennsylvania in the style of St. Nicholas. Office mates protest when they learn that Belsnickel is often accompanied by a black-faced coworker named Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter, prompting Dwight to send a quick cancel text message to the white warehouse worker he has recruited. to play Black Peter. The warehouse worker (Mark Proksch) is seen about to enter the building, in black print, receiving the text, and later at the party with some of the dark makeup still evident.
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The newly edited version will replace the previous one on Netflix, syndication and on all other platforms.
The office joins a growing roster of TV shows, movies and performers featuring past examples of racial humor and now more sensitively viewed depictions, largely caused by the Black Lives Matter movement and murder protests police officers from George Floyd, Brionna Tayler and other African-Americans. Scrubs and 30 rocks have removed black-face scenes, bands formerly known as The Dixie Chicks and Lady Antebellum have removed Old South references from their names, and HBO Max will post an explanatory disclaimer with gone With the Wind. Both Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel recently apologized for the prior use of black-faced personifications.
Most recently, Jenna Marbles, one of the most popular YouTube vloggers with over 3 billion views and 20 million subscribers, left her channel after posting an 11-minute video apologizing for, among other things, making a video of Black face posing as rapper Nicki Minaj.
