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June 23 (UPI) -- 30 Rock creator Tina Fey has requested that episodes of the show be pulled due to their use of blackface. Variety said Fey, series co-creator Robert Carlock and NBCUniversal asked that four episodes featuring characters in blackface, or makeup used by non-black performers to represent a black person, be removed from streaming and syndication.
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Entertainment Weekly said Hulu and Amazon Prime are taking down the episodes. The episodes won't appear in future returns on television and won't be available to purchase from iTunes or Google Play.
"As we strive to do the work and do better in regards to race in America, we believe that these episodes featuring actors in race-changing makeup are best taken out of circulation," Fey said in a letter obtained by Vulture.
"I understand now that 'intent' is not a free pass for white people to use these images. I apologize for the pain they have caused. Going forward, no comedy-loving kid needs to stumble on these tropes and be stung by their ugliness," she added.
Two of the episodes in question -- Season 3, Episode 2 ("Believe in the Stars") and Season 5, Episode 10 ("Christmas Attack Zone") -- feature Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) in blackface.
The other episodes being pulled are Season 6, Episode 19 ("Live from Studio 6H"), featuring Jon Hamm in blackface, and the East Coast version of Season 5, Episode 4's live show.
30 Rock had a seven-season run on NBC from 2006 to 2013.
