‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’: Tina Fey Should Take Down Netflix Series for Promoting Red Face, Fans Says
Tina Fey is an acclaimed actor, writer, comedian, and producer. Her credits include films like Mean Girls, Date Night, Baby Mama, and Sisters, and television shows such as 30 Rock. Fey is also the co-creator of the popular series The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. While the show was a hit with critics and fans alike, there are some serious issues with it, as some viewers have pointed out in recent days. These issues could be enough to remove the show from streaming platforms for good — and that would be quite OK with many critics.
Tina Fey is an acclaimed comedy writer
Tina Fey first rose to fame on Saturday Night Live. She served as a writer on the show for years before transitioning to become a regular cast member. Fey’s impersonations of figures like Sarah Palin, as well as her acerbic humor on sketches like Weekend Update, made her very popular with viewers, and she went on to create the now-iconic series 30 Rock.
Over the years, Fey became a movie star, taking the lead in big-budget films such as Baby Mama and Wine Country. She hosted awards shows, wrote a best-selling book, and served as the creator for plays, like the stage production of Mean Girls. Fey is the recipient of numerous awards, including three Golden Globe Awards, nine Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Screen Actor’s Guild Awards. With all the accolades that Fey has received, however, many fans are taking issue with certain elements of Fey’s writing, and have been calling the comedian out in recent days.
‘The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ has come under fire
In early 2015, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt premiered on Netflix. Starring Ellie Kemper, the show focused on a young woman named Kimmy Schmidt and her life immediately following her rescue from a doomsday cult. Kimmy moves from her hometown in Indiana to New York City in order to forge a new future for herself and surrounds herself with a host of interesting characters, played by Carol Kane and Titus Burgess.
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ran for four seasons before it ended in early 2019. During the series run, it was nominated for multiple awards and was heralded as one of the greatest new shows of the streaming era. Many fans still love the series and continue to stream it on Netflix in rerun form. However, the show has some serious issues, as fans have been pointing out in light of recent world events.
Fans aren’t happy with Tina Fey
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt features a long-running subplot in which Jacqueline Voorhees, played by Jane Krakowski, explores her Native American ancestry. Many viewers feel as though the way it was handled was very insensitive. Another glaring example of the show’s problematic portrayal of race comes when Titus appears in full geisha costume. A 2016 article from Vox slammed the show, pointing out these and other examples of racism within the series.
Fans on Twitter have been speaking out as well, especially in light of the fact that Tina Fey recently decided to pull all episodes of her show 30 Rock that feature blackface. One fan on Twitter called Fey out, posting “hey Tina Fey, how about taking down all the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt episodes that promote red face by having a White woman play a Native character? Oh wait, that would be the entire series.” Others were quick to chime in, accusing Fey of enjoying “racist comedy,” and stating that the show is “super uncomfortable to watch.” It seems as though the ball is now in Fey’s court, and fans are waiting with bated breath to see if she decides to make a move and pull The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as well.
