Four ’30 Rock’ Episodes, Including One With Blackface, Pulled From Streaming Services At Tina Fey’s Request

Four episodes of NBC’s comedy show, 30 Rock, have been removed from Amazon Prime and Hulu. The show’s creators, Tina Fey and Robert Carlock requested their removal. The four episodes that were taken down each include the use of blackface.

The removed episodes will not appear as future reruns on television, nor will they be available for purchase from platforms like iTunes or Google Play. 

Fey wrote a letter to each platform (Amazon Prime and Hulu) requesting the removal of the episodes. She wrote, “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 removed 30 Rock episodes include season three, episode two; season five, episodes four and ten; and season six, episode 19. 

NBC Universal is one of many platforms rethinking and removing its content while nationwide conversations about racial injustice continue. HBO Max recently took down Gone With the Wind from its platform, but the movie will be reintroduced to the streaming service at a later date.

30 Rock ran for seven seasons on NBC and ended in 2013.