Iconic TV show The Muppets reached Disney+ screens on Friday 19 February but viewers were greeted with a warning first, as the streaming service has deemed the show as offensive. With that, the internet are claiming that the family program is being cancelled.
The comedy TV show premiered in 1976 and ran until 1981 for a total of five seasons. As a family favourite, it’s no surprise that everyone’s most-loved puppets have reached Disney+.
However, before viewers were able to binge-watch the The Muppet Show, subscribers were first presented with an unexpected message. What kind of disclaimer would a children’s TV show require?
- NEWEST: Daft Punk announces their break-up
Disney+ adds “offensive content” label to The Muppets
In the disclaimer, Disney+ writes:
“This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures.”
“These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together”.
Not all episodes follow the message, only 18 were deemed offensive. For example, Johnny Cash is seen singing in front of the Confederate flag, which was historically claimed by white supremacists in US southern state and pro-slavery activists.
A step further, two whole episodes from the final season were pulled: one due to music copyright by Brooke Shields and the other as it featured English writer of the show, Chris Langham. He was arrested for possession of indecent images of children in 2005.
Awareness against racism has developed greatly in the last year, therefore the company has a site that recognises the ignorance of its classic films.
On its ‘Stories Matter‘ page, Disney+ offers a brief explanation to how some of their films are deemed offensive, including Aristocats, Peter Pan and Dumbo.
Twitter responds angrily to cancel culture
The internet is furious that Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog are being cancelled – they are blaming those who advocate cancel culture, making society too sensitive.
- VIRAL: Coca-Cola wants their fans “to be more white”
In other news, When will asteroid 2023 DZ2 pass between Earth and the moon on March 25?