It then cuts to warehouse worker Nate (played by Mark Proksch) in the office parking lot, preparing to come into the Christmas party dressed as Zwarte Piet, complete with blackface, until he receives that text from Dwight and immediately turns around.
In response, Oscar (Oscar Nunez) looks up Belsnickel online, and discovers that his partner, Zwarte Piet, is "a slave boy often portrayed in colorful pantaloons and blackface."

The moment occurs as Rainn Wilson’s Dwight Schrute is portraying the German Christmas folklore character Belsnickel.

The scene featuring blackface occurs when Oscar (Oscar Nunez) looks up Belsnickel on Wikipedia. Series creator Bill Lawrence had previously tweeted that an effort to remove offensive episodes of the show was in the works. Four comedies from Australian comic Chris Lilley were pulled from Netflix in New Zealand and Australia due to criticisms of the shows’ depictions of people of color and the use of blackface and brownface makeup by Lilley, who is white, and others on the shows. Today we cut a shot of an actor wearing blackface that was used to criticize a specific racist European practice.

"We support the decision to remove the episode," a spokesperson for Sony Pictures Television told Variety.

The office mates protest when they learn that Belsnickel is typically accompanied by a blackface sidekick named Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter, prompting Dwight to text a … Earlier this week, two other sitcoms, “Scrubs” and “30 Rock,” pulled multiple episodes each that featured characters in blackface. “The show employed satire to expose unacceptable behavior and deliver a message of inclusion. "Blackface is unacceptable and making the point so graphically is hurtful an wrong," The Office's creator Greg Daniels said. While explaining his decision to re-edit the episode, Daniels acknowledged that while the scene is intended to make fun of people who uphold offensive traditions, it should never have been included in the first place. It’s revealed that Belsnickel is often accompanied by Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter, a character described as “a slave boy often portrayed in colorful pantaloons and blackface.” Today we cut a shot of an actor wearing blackface that was used to criticize a specific racist European practice.". Also Read: 'Gone With the Wind,' 'Scrubs' and Other Movies and TV Shows Pulled in #BlackLivesMatter Era (Photos). After lobbying from Cleese and others, the network announced it would reinstate the episode with "extra guidance and warnings ... to highlight potentially offensive content. The Office's Season 9 Christmas episode, which originally aired in 2012, centers around Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and his attempts to convince Dunder-Mifflin to celebrate a traditional Schrute Family Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas in the office. The character is "a slave boy often portrayed in colorful pantaloons and blackface." Nothing says a family vacation like an RV, Princess Diana died when Harry was just 12 years old, It's looked — and felt — like a whole different world as we've been social distancing and attempting to keep each other safe, See All the Celebs Taking RV Trips This Summer, The Sweetest Photos of Princes Harry with Diana, From Empty Streets to Virtual Weddings: What Life Has Looked Like During the Coronavirus Pandemic. However, there is a quick cut to Nate (Mark Proksch), who is wearing blackface and waiting on Dwight to tell him to come up to the office. Later in the episode, Nate is shown with the blackface almost wiped from his face.

The decision came after the creators of Scrubs and 30 Rock asked for episodes showing characters wearing blackface to be removed from circulation. I am sorry for the pain that caused. “Dwight’s Christmas” aired Dec. 6, 2012, on NBC. Rather than pull the episode altogether, the scene has simply been removed. Coyote Ugly Turns 20: Where Is the Cast Now? These English comedies were pulled from Netflix in the UK over scenes involving blackface. The BBC removed a 1975 episode of the classic John Cleese sitcom that included a number of racial epithets, including the N-word, from its UKTV streaming service. Belsnickel is a companion of Saint Nicholas in the Palatinate (Pfalz), Germany. Three episodes of Scrubs featuring characters in blackface have also been pulled. He is a rather scary creature who visits children at Christmas time and delivers socks or shoes full of candy, but if the children were not good, they will find coal and in their stockings instead. The scene featuring blackface occurs when Oscar (Oscar Nunez) looks up Belsnickel on Wikipedia. I am sorry for the pain that caused.".

NBCUniversal’s decision to edit this episode of “The Office” comes on the same morning TheWrap exclusively reported Netflix removed an episode of “Community” that featured a character in blackface. The Office showrunner Greg Daniels deleted a scene from the Season 9 episode "Dwight Christmas" because it features a White actor wearing blackface in a brief scene. Blackface is unacceptable and making the point so graphically is hurtful and wrong. I apologize for pain they have caused.". Once Stanley Hudson (Leslie David Baker) — one of the only black employees — hears of the offensive costume, he tells Dwight, "No," though viewers briefly see Dwight's assistant walking through the office parking lot in blackface before the stunt gets called off. The boy is often portrayed using blackface, Oscar shares on the episode. He shows up later in the episode with the majority of his makeup wiped off. He tells the office the character’s partner Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter, is “a slave boy often portrayed in colorful pantaloons and blackface.” Stanley (Leslie David Baker) tells Dwight in response, “Uh-uh. An episode of "The Office" with a character in blackface has been edited to remove the scene.

Hulu removed three episodes of the sitcom “Scrubs” which featured blackface at the request of the show’s producers and ABC Studios.

The character is "a slave boy often portrayed in colorful pantaloons and blackface.". On June 23, Tina Fey and NBC requested that four episodes of 30 Rock featuring blackface be pulled from streaming and syndication; two days later, Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence announced on Twitter that he had asked Hulu to remove several episodes of the show which featured the white characters in blackface. Greg Daniels, who developed The Office, explained the decision in a statement: “The Office is about a group of people trying to work together with mutual respect despite the inappropriate actions of their boss and assistant manager.

The shot will no longer appear in the 2012 episode in any form, including Netflix, syndication, or when the series moves to Peacock next year.
New times call for a new look at what we should watch and stream, A scene from "The Mighty Boosh" via YouTube, Netflix Pulls 'Community' Episode 'Advanced Dungeons & Dragons' Due to Blackface Scenes (Exclusive), 'Gone With the Wind,' 'Scrubs' and Other Movies and TV Shows Pulled in #BlackLivesMatter Era (Photos).

As part of the celebrations, he dresses up as Belsnickel, who is a "St. Nicolas-like figure in South German folklore," per The Wrap. Related: The Office: The True Story Behind Belsnickel In Christmas Folklore According to TheWrap, The Office creator Greg Daniels has, in conjunction with NBCUniversal, re-edited this episode to remove the shot of Proksch in blackface. However, the scene then cuts to Nate (Mark Proksch) on his way into the party, in blackface as Zwarte Piet. Tina Fey Pulls 4 ’30 Rock’ Episodes From Circulation, Apologizes for Blackface Use, Three ‘Scrubs’ Episodes Featuring Blackface Pulled From Streaming (Exclusive), ’30 Rock,’ ‘Scrubs’ and Other TV Shows and Movies Pulled Over Blackface and Racial Insensitivity (Photos), Netflix Pulls ‘Community’ Episode ‘Advanced Dungeons & Dragons’ Due to Blackface Scenes (Exclusive), 3 ‘Scrubs’ Episodes Featuring Blackface Pulled From Streaming (Exclusive). When it is observed that he is like a "dirty, worse santa," Dwight clarifies that Belsnickel is far better than santa and spreads … Today we cut a shot of an actor wearing blackface that was used to criticize a specific racist European practice.

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The move follows Tina Fey's decision to pull episodes of 30 Rock featuring blackface from streaming services.

The new version of the episode is already streaming on Netflix and replaced the old one wherever the show is available for purchase. HBO Max quietly pulled the Oscar-winning 1939 movie, which has long been criticized for racist depictions of black people for for glorifying the Civl War-era south, from the weeks-old streaming service. The scene cuts to Nate outside, dressed as Black Pete was described, who turns away before entering the party. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. Doubting the authenticity of Dwight’s performance, Oscar, another main character in the series, reads the Wikipedia entry for “Belsnickel”: “… his partner Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter, a slave boy, often portrayed in colorful pantaloons and blackface.” In response, Oscar (Oscar Nunez) looks up Belsnickel online, and discovers that his partner, Zwarte Piet, is "a slave boy often portrayed in colorful pantaloons and blackface.".

Dwight even dressed up as Belsnickel, the Santa Claus-like character in German folklore. The re-edited episode is already available to stream on Netflix — and will move with the sitcom to NBC's streaming service Peacock in 2021 — and will replace the original cut for its "syndication airings on Comedy Central and other Viacom-owned channels," the outlet reports. We don’t blindly stick to every outmoded aspect of our traditions.