Hulu has removed three episodes of “Scrubs” which feature blackface from its platform by request of the show’s producers and ABC Studios, TheWrap has learned.
The episodes that have been removed include Season 3’s “My Friend the Doctor” and the Season 5 episodes “My Jiggly Ball” and “My Chopped Liver.” One of the episodes featured a flashback in which Zach Braff and Donald Faison’s characters attended a party in blackface and whiteface, respectively. Another saw Sarah Chalke don blackface for a fantasy sequence.
Series creator Bill Lawrence had previously tweeted that an effort to remove offensive episodes of the show was in the works. Reps for Lawrence did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment.
The decision comes days after four episodes of “30 Rock” were also removed from streaming and syndication due to their content. Three of the episodes, including one of the show’s live episodes, had white actors appear in blackface.
In a statement sent to the platforms requesting the episodes’ removal, co-creator and star Tina Fey apologized for having the scenes in the show. “I understand now that ‘intent’ is not a free pass for white people to use these images,” she said. “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.”
Netflix also recently pulled an episode of the sketch comedy series “W/Bob & David.”