do-overs

A&E Changes the Name of Its Ku Klux Klan Docu-Series to Sound Less Like a Creepy Reality Show

A member of the Ku Klux Klan dance ensem
Photo: GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images

After taking heat online for its upcoming docu-series Generation KKK, A&E is hoping to settle people’s concerns by changing the title of the program to Escaping the KKK: A Documentary Series Exposing Hate in America, according to Variety. As a non-scripted show, the first iteration of the title was leading some to wonder if A&E was pandering to racist viewers by just airing a reality show about the Ku Klux Klan. Actress Ellen Pompeo took to Twitter a few days ago and asked people to boycott the network with her, saying “So I guess A&E stands for …we will try to put Anything and Everything on tv… because we are a bunch of desperate pathetic tv execs” in the middle of a minor tweetstorm. At the time, A&E pointed out that they had worked closely with the Anti-Defamation League to produce the series, and as part of the title change they have also announced a partnership with Color of Change, a civil rights group that will “produce segments featuring civil-rights leaders to help provide context to the documentary.” Officially, Escaping the KKK is an eight-part docu-series that follows several families involved with the infamous organization, “and efforts to help some members of those families extricate themselves from the hate group.” It also explores how children are indoctrinated into the system. In addition to the series, A&E will also air a post-show town hall special about ending hate in America.

A&E Changes the Name of Its KKK Docu-Series