The Duke Boys have not only been in trouble with the law since the day they was born, but they’re now feeling the wrath of Confederate flag protesters.
TheWrap has confirmed that TV Land has pulled “Dukes of Hazzard” from its lineup. The move comes after renewed debate surrounding the controversial flag, with protesters around the country calling for states like South Carolina and Mississipi to remove it from public grounds in light of the racially-motivated mass shooting at a black church in Charleston.
“The Dukes of Hazzard,” which ran for 7 seasons from 1979 to 1985, featured a car called The General Lee that prominently displayed the flag on the roof. Warner Bros, which produced the show, recently announced they would cease production on all merchandise bearing the flag, including reproductions of The General Lee.
The series was popular when it originally aired, and inspired the 2005 film version that starred Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, and Jessica Simpson.
Ben Jones, who played mechanic Cooter on the show, recently came to the defense of the flag in a Facebook post. “Our beloved symbol is now being attacked in a wave of political correctness that is unprecedented in our nation of free speech and free expression,” he wrote.
Jones currently operates a chain of “Dukes of Hazzard” stores and museums called Cooter’s Place. He said that despite the move by Warner Bros, he will continue to sell Confederate flag products.
“Cooter’s is going to continue to sell our Southern symbols as long as there is a Cooter’s,” Jones wrote. “I will fight these people until hell freezes over, and then I will fight them on the ice.”
South Carolina governor Nikki Haley called for the flag’s removal from the state’s capitol grounds, with the state’s legislature voting to debate the motion for removal.