The third season of the Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.-hosted show won't go on air until the show improves its editorial guidelines and hires an independent fact checker.
- Jun 26, 2015
AceShowbiz - "Finding Your Roots" is suspended by PBS following controversy surrounding Ben Affleck episode. The network decides to delay the third season and hold off commitment to a fourth one until more transparent guidelines are established for the program.
The decision was made after an internal review conducted by PBS. The investigation determined that the show's producers "violated PBS standards by allowing improper influence on the show's editorial process and failed to inform PBS or producing station WNET of Affleck's efforts to affect the program's content."
Ben Affleck appeared on "Finding Your Roots" in October 2014. He was later revealed in a leaked email exchange between Sony Entertainment Chairman, Michael Lynton, and the show's host and producer, Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., to have requested information about his slave-owning ancestor be omitted from the show.
The actor then apologized, admitting his embarrassment led him to ask the Professor to edit it out. "I didn't want any television show about my family to include a guy who owned slaves," he explained. "The very thought left a bad taste in my mouth."
Now, PBS is withdrawing the episode from all platforms including digital and home video. The show is also ordered to hire an additional researcher and an independent genealogist to review future installments for factual accuracy.
