‘Schitt’s Creek’ star Dan Levy slams Comedy Central India for censorship of gay kiss: It makes a ‘harmful statement’
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Ew, censorship!
Dan Levy, the star and co-creator of the beloved television series “Schitt’s Creek,” was not happy to find out that a channel in India had removed a gay kiss scene from the Emmy Award-winning show.
On Tuesday, the openly gay Canadian actor and screenwriter — and the force behind the record-breaking sitcom — took to Twitter to criticize Comedy Central India for straight-washing the groundbreaking series.
“You showed the kiss between two women, you showed the kiss between a woman and a man, then removed the kiss between two men?” Levy tweeted, sharing a clip posted in May 2019 by the network.
The clip, which features a group playing spin the bottle, shows a quick kiss between Alexis (Annie Murphy) and Ted (Dustin Milligan), and one between Alexis and Stevie (Emily Hampshire).
But a kiss between David and Ted was clearly edited out.
“This is a show about the power of inclusivity. The censorship of gay intimacy is making a harmful statement against that message,” Levy wrote, adding the hashtag #loveislove.
In September, “Schitt’s Creek” broke the record for most Emmy awards in a single season for a comedy.
“Our show, at its core, is about the transformational effects of love and acceptance, and that is something we need more of now than we’ve ever needed before,” Levy said, as he accepted the prize for best comedy series.
Earlier this year, during a special that aired after the series finale, a group of more than 1,800 mothers of LGBTQ kids wrote an emotional letter addressed to Levy, the cast, crew and writers of the show.
“Your commitment to represent love and tolerance in your show is so important to families like ours,” the moms wrote.
“Your willingness to explore, inform and educate about LGBTQ people and their relationships in an entertaining but respectful and positive manner sets a tone that is often missing,” they added.
Last year, Levy criticized a U.K. television channel for a similar censorship move.
“Footage of the Jake/David kiss having been edited out. Aside from this censorship being highly disturbing and dangerous, it was a big laugh in the scene,” Levy wrote on Twitter, referring to some editing work on the show done by 4Music, an entertainment-focused broadcast network.
“This is very disheartening,” he added.
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