The legend of the Black-ish episode that never aired continues.
Back in March, an episode that reportedly discussed NFL players kneeling during the national anthem in protest was pulled by ABC and Kenya Barris because of its sensitive nature. Though it was said to be a mutual decision between the network and the showrunner, audiences still aren’t buying it.
Now, Tracee Ellis Ross is speaking out about it.
During the comedy actress roundtable for The Hollywood Reporter, Ellis says that the reason why the show was pulled is tightly under wraps by the powers that be.
“The details of why the episode was pulled and everything that has surrounded that, I do not have the answers for,” she said. “To a certain extent, I have purposefully stayed out of those conversations because I’ve had no power to do something beyond that.”
The show is known for touching on timely controversial topics such as racism, Trump’s presidency, and police brutality, so Ross finds it troubling that she can’t get answers. “I have asked for the information and pushed for the information that I felt would be helpful to me and constructive in what I can do with it because I find it frightening.”
According to Shadow And Act, the episode centers on Dre trying to get their infant son to fall asleep during a thunderstorm. As he tells him bedtime stories, he includes his concerns about the current state of America, including athletes’ rights to kneel during the national anthem.
With the ongoing tension between woke players and the NFL, hopefully, the network and Barris will have a change of heart and air the content when the show returns this fall.