Looney Tunes character Pepé Le Pew has been cut from the upcoming Warner Bros. movie Space Jam: A New Legacy.
The revelation was made by Jane the Virgin actor Greice Santo, who said that a scene featuring her and Le Pew had been removed from the movie.
In the now-cut black and white scene, Santo and the character appeared together to parody the movie Casablanca before she beats up the cartoon skunk for being sexually aggressive.
However, Dave Chappelle called out Pepé Le Pew's troubling behavior 20 years ago:This comes after the French skunk has recently come under fire for his aggressive pursuit of a black cat known as Penelope Pussycat, with Upworthy describing him as the "epitome of rape culture".
Le Pew has been criticized for his character's consistent interpretation of females fighting back as a sign of interest. No matter how much she protested, he would kiss her face and hold her arms down.
Watch Le Pew's problematic behavior below:In a 2021 column for The New York Times, Charles M. Blow wrote that Le Pew "normalized rape culture."
However, the removal of the skunk hasn't gone down well with everyone.
One Twitter user wrote: "With the recent cancellation and removal of Pepe Le Pew, I will not watch #SpaceJam2. When Space Jam 2 becomes available I will watch the original #SpaceJam instead. Join me if you're tired of cancel culture."
While some might argue that the removal of the skunk from the film is an example of cancel culture, this is not the first time that he has been criticized.
Comedian Dave Chappelle realized the character was a bad example for children in 2000 and mocked the skunk in his "Killin' Them Softly' standup special.
"Some wild sh*t! Like, I was with my nephew, sitting there watching Pepé Le Pew, and I said, 'Now, pay attention to this guy because he's funny. I used to watch him when I was little," Chapelle says in the bit. "And we're watching Pepé Le Pew, and… Good god, what kind of f**king rapist is this guy? Take it easy, Pepé!'"
