Nathan Fielder blasts Paramount+ for ‘Nathan For You’ removal
Nathan Fielder blasts Paramount+ for ‘Nathan For You’ removal
Only a single episode of ‘Nathan for You’ has been pulled from Paramount+, but it’s one near and dear to Fielder’s heart.
A streaming service deciding to remove a TV show or movie, or even a single episode, from its on-demand library is hardly a new phenomenon. Titles get pulled from streamers all the time so that the service’s parent company can save on back-end costs, residuals, licensing deals, and much more. However, Nathan Fielder’s distress over Paramount+ removing one specific episode of his series “Nathan For You” stems from a much different reason, although still primarily financially motivated. On Sunday, Fielder used his new series “The Rehearsal” (which airs on HBO and Max) to pull the curtain back on why is so upset about Paramount’s decision to pull the episode.
Key Details:
- Pulled from Paramount+: Paramount+ has scrubbed a single episode of “Nathan For You” that deals with antisemitism.
- Not equitable: Fielder points out that Paramount+ has pulled content that deals with Judaism topics, but other sensitive subjects can still be found on the streamer.
- No comment: Thus far, Paramount+ has not commented publicly on the episode removal.
In no uncertain terms, Fielder put Paramount+ on blast in Sunday’s episode of “The Rehearsal.” A character —representing Paramount+ — was dressed in a Nazi uniform as it attempted to lay out the case for why it was so important that the streamer remove a particular episode of “Nathan For You” from its library.
The 2015 episode in question sees Fielder start an outdoor clothing line called Summit Ice after learning that a Canadian manufacturer behind his favorite winter jacket had published a tribute to a Holocaust denier. In the episode, Fielder is determined to donate proceeds from Summit Ice to Holocaust education, and has likely raised millions toward that cause in the intervening years.
In the new episode of “The Rehearsal,” Fielder details how he discovered in late 2023 that Paramount+ had pulled the “Nathan For You” episode from its catalog. It’s still not available there, but can currently be found on Max, where “Nathan For You” also streams.
When he asked Paramount+ why it had removed the episode, a representative for the company replied to Fielder:
“A decision was made by Paramount+ Germany to remove the episode in their region after they became uncomfortable with what they called anything that touches on antisemitism in the aftermath of the Israel/Hamas attacks.”
As detailed by Fielder in “The Rehearsal,” the decision to get the episode off Paramount+ spread around the world quickly. He also states that other content dealing with topics surrounding Judaism have been pulled, and notes that while Paramount+ searches for “Hitler” or “Nazi” pull up multiple options, searching for “Judaism” on the service doesn’t pull up nearly as many results.
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Paramount+ has not made any public statement on the episode’s removal, and declined to address a request for comment from Variety. It’s likely that Paramount is hoping that the issue will simply go away as it attempts to get its merger with Skydance Media pushed through the governmental approval process, but Fielder is not letting the conflict die.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and more. Get free access with a Walmart+ subscription.
Paramount+ includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.