ABC pulls ‘racially-charged’ episode of black-ish before it airs

  • Please Baby Please was due to air on February 27 but was pulled last minute
  • Show has dealt with difficult social themes like racism and police brutality 
  • The episode features protagonist Dre telling his son a story about athletes having the right to kneel during the national anthem 

ABC has pulled a ‘racially-charged’ episode of the family sitcom black-ish, citing ‘creative differences’ with the show’s creator Kenya Barris.

The episode, entitled Please Baby Please, was due to air on February 27, and featured protagonist Dre telling his son a bedtime story about the right of athletes to kneel during the national anthem.

Instead, it was replaced by a rerun.

Anthony Anderson’s character, Dre (pictured with Yara Shahidi who plays his daughter), tells his son a bedtime story about athletes right to kneel during the national anthem

‘Given our creative differences, neither ABC nor I were happy with the direction of the episode and mutually agreed not to air it,’ Mr Barris said in a statement.

‘One of the things that has always made ‘black-ish’ so special is how it deftly examines delicate social issues in a way that simultaneously entertains and educates,’ a ABC network representative told Variety. 

The series has garnered strong ratings and good reviews from critics

The series has garnered strong ratings and good reviews from critics

‘However, on this episode there were creative differences we were unable to resolve.’ 

The show has not run shy of difficult issues, handled topics like the 2016 election, racial slurs and police brutality.

Now in its fourth season, it has drawn strong ratings and critical praise for episodes addressing a broad range of political and social themes.

Tracee Ellis Ross earned a Golden Glove for her portrayal of Dr Rainbow Johnson in the show, which itself has been nominated for multiple Emmy nominations, spawning a spin off call grown-ish which airs on Freeform.

The network has no plan at this time to air the episode in any format. 



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