Hulu removes ‘Golden Girls’ mud mask episode, prompting pushback: ‘What the hell?’

Hulu has removed a 1988 episode of “The Golden Girls” in which actresses Betty White and Rue McClanahan wear black mud on their faces, according to several reports on Monday, with the decision prompting backlash on social media.

In the episode in question, titled “Mixed Blessing,” the son of Bea Arthur’s Dorothy plans to marry an older Black woman played by Rosalind Cash.

“This is mud on our faces,” White says in the Season 3 episode when Cash’s family arrives. “We’re not really black.” 

The decision by the streaming company follows similar moves following George Floyd’s death during an arrest in Minneapolis last month that sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

Last week, Tina Fey requested that four episodes of “30 Rock” be pulled from NBCUniversal’s streaming service for their use of blackface.

Days later, Hulu removed three episodes of the TV sitcom “Scrubs” from its platform because they included blackface.

And late-night host Jimmy Kimmel recently apologized for his use of blackface in his Comedy Central show “The Man Show,” which ran from 1999 to 2004.

The latest decision by Hulu was slammed as an example of overreacting, however, by social media users including African Americans.

That Golden Girls episode isn’t blackface. What the hell ?

— roxane gay (@rgay) June 28, 2020

Removing this episode is weird, counterproductive and stupid. It diminishes the effort to actually end racism. It’s just so dumb.

— roxane gay (@rgay) June 28, 2020

The Golden Girls are now racist. Wake me up when 2020 is over. https://t.co/VMqm1CmahP

— Mark Dice (@MarkDice) June 28, 2020

I haven’t heard one person, not a one, have ‘Remove the episode of The Golden Girls, in which characters wear mud face masks ‘

as a demand.

Y’all doing everything else but change! https://t.co/bd9RRSrmKE

— Anthony V. Clark (@anthonyvclark20) June 29, 2020

I refuse to believe that Black folks called for the removal of a Golden Girls episode because of some mud masks. REFUSE.

— Mikelle Street (@MikelleStreet) June 28, 2020

“The Golden Girls” aired on NBC from 1985 to 1992.