The Dukes of Hazzard reruns will no longer air on TV Land, according to a statement to EW.
The network did not comment on the reasoning for the removal, but the decision comes in the wake of a national debate on the Confederate flag, which features heavily in the show, most prominently on the top of the 1969 Dodge Charger used in the show.
Dukes of Hazzard aired from 1979 to 1985 on CBS, following Bo and Luke Duke on adventures through fictional Hazzard County, Georgia. Their primary means of transportation was the Charger, named the General Lee, which boasts a Confederate flag painted on its roof. At least one member of the cast, Ben Jones, who played Cooter Davenport on the show, came out in defense of the Confederate flag following the tragic shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, last month.
“Activists and politicians are vilifying Southern culture and heritage as being bigoted and racist. We know that is not the case,” Jones wrote in a lengthy Facebook post, “And we know that in Hazzard County there was never any racism.”
In addition, Warner Bros. announced it will stop issuing licenses for toys and memorabilia based off the car.
H/T EW | Photo via nostri imago/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)