Hulu removes American sitcom Golden Girls' episode with actresses Betty White, Rue McClanahan in blackface

In line with the ongoing protests against racism, television network Hulu has removed an episode of the American sitcom The Golden Girls that featured a scene with characters in blackface. The scene removed from the streaming platform was of episode 23 of the sitcom, ‘Mixed Feelings,’ in season 3, that showed characters of Betty White and Rue McClanahan in blackface, wrote  The Hollywood Reporter. Aired in 1988, the episode revolves around the storyline where Michael (Scott Jacoby), the son of Dorothy (Beatrice Author), planning to wed a much older Black woman, Lorraine (Rosalind Cash). [caption id=“attachment_8534961” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Cast of Golden Girls. Image from Twitter[/caption] Dorothy is concerned over the age difference while Lorraine’s family disapproves of their daughter marrying a white man, and thus the two families attempt to end the marriage. In the episode, Lorraine’s family finds Rose (White) and Blanche (McClanahan) trying a new mud facial treatment, and as they greet their family, Rose states, “This is mud on our faces, we’re not really Black.” The streamer’s removal of this episode makes them the latest in joining a string of other shows which have removed scenes that depict racist content. Hulu had also removed three episodes with blackface content from the hospital comedy sitcom Scrubs at the request of creator Bill Lawrence and ABC Studios, reports Variety. Two weeks before, the classic Oscar-winning movie _Gone With the Wind_ was temporarily removed from the libraries of HBO Max citing a need to address its racist depictions. However, on 25 June, the 1939 released epic was brought back for public viewing with an introductory disclaimer that discusses the historical context of the movie. Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel apologised recently for his 1990s blackface impressions of NBA player Karl Malone and other Black celebrities but said his delay in addressing the subject came in part to avoid handing a victory to his foes. Four episodes of the comedy  _30 Rock_  were pulled from circulation because they featured characters performing in blackface. Tina Fey , who also starred as Liz Lemon in the series about the backstage world of a television show, said in a note to distributors that “I understand now that ‘intent’ is not a free pass for white people to use these images.” (With inputs from Asian News International)