Netflix Australia Has Removed Four Chris Lilley Shows From Its Library

The shows were pulled for Lilley's portrayal of non-white characters.

For years, Aussie comedian Chris Lilley has been called out for using blackface to play characters in his programs.

Now, it has been announced that We Can Be Heroes, Summer Heights High, Angry Boys and Jonah From Tonga have been permanently removed from Netflix Australia's library.

The four shows were originally broadcast on the ABC in 2005, 2007, 2011, and 2014. They are no longer available to watch on ABC iView. 

In Summer Heights High and Jonah From Tonga, Lilley portrayed Tongan student Jonah Takalua, and in Angry Boys he played a black rapper called S.Mouse. 

In both We Can Be Heroes and Angry Boys, the comedian played Chinese characters. 

Chris Lilley’s blackface has ALWAYS been racist. That seven news segment has ALWAYS been racist. Racism against Adam Goode and within the AFL community has been well documented. The only difference is now people are actually paying attention

— q (@quynhich) June 11, 2020

At this stage, Ja'mie Private School Girl and Lilley's most recent show, Lunatics, will remain on Aussie Netflix. The decision has caused some confusion, considering he portrays a South African woman called Jana in the latter. 

Although, Lilley's producer Laura Waters said that Lilley wasn't playing a person of colour.

"When the series is released, you will see that Jana is a white woman with huge '70s style curly hair," she wrote. 

The decision to remove Lilley's shows from the streaming service comes after the BBC pulled Little Britain from iPlayer. Creators Matt Lucas and David Williams played numerous non-white characters, as well as trans characters. 

Additionally, HBO Max in the United States has removed Gone with the Wind because of its depictions of slavery during the US Civil War. 

Netflix is also promoting a new "Black Lives Matter" collection to US subscribers, which features over 45 titles about racial injustice and the experience of Black Americans. 

Films like When They See Us, Moonlight and Dear White People have all been included in the collection. 

Header Image: ABC