ABC pulled a sitcom due to NFL protests happening around the national anthem. The show that attempted to tackle the issue was “Black-ish.”
Of course, it is always worth noting that the players kneeling during the anthem aren't protesting the song or patriotism, but other areas of American life. However, with the movement being hijacked by several different pundits, the ideology behind the message has been lost in favor of without nuance talking points.
Amway, Kenya Barris, the creator of Black-ish, confirmed that ABC decided to not air a show that worked within the entire anthem issue.
“Given our creative differences, neither ABC nor I were happy with the direction of the episode and mutually agreed not to air it,” Barris told Variety. “‘Black-ish’ is a show that has spoken to all different types of people and brought them closer as a community and I’m so proud of the series.”
ABC also released a statement to Variety about the episode.
“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,” an ABC spokesperson told Variety Friday. “However, on this episode there were creative differences we were unable to resolve.”
It doesn't appear as though the National Football League or Disney leaned on anyone from the show to drop the topic. It simply seems as though the people involved were not thrilled with the outcome of the creative process, dropping it instead of airing the episode merely because there was an idea already in place.
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