Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy calls out Comedy Central India

Rhidheema R

20th October 2020

Schitt's Creek co-creator and actor Daniel Levy expressed his disappointment with Comedy Central India for censoring gay intimacy on the well-renowned series. The channel removed a kissing scene between his character David and actor Dustin Milligan's Ted from one of the episodes from the fifth season.

According to The Indian Express, after the clip was shared, Levy took to Twitter to ask why a scene of two men being intimate got edited out while keeping other clips of kisses between a woman and a man and two women. He tweeted, "This is a show about the power of inclusivity. The censorship of gay intimacy is making a harmful statement against that message." The award-winning actor has been vocal about LGBTQ+ rights in the past.

Dan Levy, Annie Murphy and Eugene Levy (Source: Dave Thomas/Toronto Sun/QMI Agency)

India, though traditionally conservative, decriminalized section 377 in 2018. The country does not yet recognize the right to same-sex marriage. A Comedy Central International spokesperson told CNN that the kiss was aired in its entirety in the full episode but got removed from the promo due to a code that prohibits Indian broadcasters from publishing content that is not family-friendly during the daytime.

After noticing Daniel's tweet, many fans spoke out against Comedy Central. The star decided to intervene and clarify that his tweet was specific for Comedy Central India, which had censored the clip. In contrast, comedy central U.S "have been lovely and respectful."

The clip focused on the spin-the-bottle scene of the Season 5 episode "Housewarming." He also speculated that the kiss got cut out because it was long and passionate, not because it was between two women.

Schitt's Creek is a show that depicts the journey of the formerly wealthy Rose family in Schitt's Creek, who make their way up from poverty, realising the essence of family and togetherness. Sweeping a total of nine Emmy awards, the Canadian sitcom won in various categories, making it the first show to bag the top prizes. It is now streaming on Netflix.

(Sources: Vice, The Indian Express, Firstpost)

Edited by: Ritish