Streaming service Disney+ inserted a viewer advisory that airs before some episodes of the iconic family variety program “The Muppet Show,” telling viewers that those episodes may contain material that some people find objectionable, CNN reports.
The series, which ran for five years starting in 1976, broadcasts a disclaimer stating that the episode “includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now.”
The episodes with the label include on featuring Johnny Cash singing in front of American and Confederate flags, another where Muppets dressed as Arabs search for oil, and singer Joan Baez speaking in an Indian accent.
Disney has put similar advisories on some of its classic movies as well. “Dumbo” has a musical piece celebrating minstrel shows, and “The Aristocats” includes unflattering caricatures of East Asian people.
Disney has chosen to retain the content in the programs and movies, rather than edit them out, in order to reflect the period in which the shows were produced and to maintain their cultural significance.