The cast of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia will address the previous use of blackface on the show in a new episode.
Per Deadline, the FXX show had previously faced criticism over the use of blackface in the ninth episode of the sixth season, titled 'Dee Reynolds: Shaping America’s Youth'. In the episode, the show depicts an interpretation of Lethal Weapon 5, and shows show creator and star Rob McElhenny (Mac) use blackface to portray Danny Glover's character in the original movies, Murtaugh.
Netflix pulled the episode from its service last year.
Blackface was used once again by McElhenny on the show in the ninth episode of season nine, titled 'The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 6'. Fellow star Kaitlin Olson, who plays Dee, also used blackface on the show.
Ahead of the two-episode premiere of season 15, McElhenny explained the process behind the decision, telling reporters at an FX Network press conference:
"I find that my barometer is off for what’s appropriate sometimes in situations because, like, we’ve spent 15 years making a show about the worst people on the planet, and because it’s satire, we lean so heavily into this idea ...
"And then we are always, like, right on the razor’s edge, but that’s the only way that satire works. And then I go and do something else, and I may be pitching something, and then I realize, like, oh, it’s wholly inappropriate for the show what I’m doing because these are supposed to be real human beings, whereas, on Sunny, they are cartoon characters, and we can, kind of, get away with a whole lot more."
"We knew that we wanted to do it in a responsible fashion," McElhenney continued. "So that’s what we did. But really, it wasn’t until day one in the writers’ room before we really addressed it."
Now, in a brand new episode, the friends will attempt to make Lethal Weapon 7, after the character discover that their "sequels" were removed from the local library due to the use of blackface.
The episode will be titled 'The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 7' sees Mac and Dee acknowledge their error. This time around, they hire a local Black actor to portray Murtaugh.
In the episode, McElhenney’s Mac jokes to his friends: "I’m waiting for you guys to praise me because I’m doing something anti-racist and I think I deserve praise for that."
Elsewhere, Mac says: "Hollywood has a very clear moral code on mistakes [...] Woody Allen, Roman Polanski – one mistake and that was it."
To which Dennis, played Glenn Howerton, quips: "No, actually those guys continue to make films for the next 40 years."
