A&E cancels KKK docuseries before it premieres

Hours after releasing the first trailer for its upcoming, controversial docuseries Escaping the KKK, A&E announced it has “decided not to move forward with airing this project,” according to a network statement released Saturday.

A&E says its decision stems from ethical questions surrounding the production of the docuseries. “A&E learned last night from the third-party producers who made the documentary that cash payments — which we currently understand to be nominal — were made in the field to some participants in order to facilitate access,” A&E wrote. “While we stand behind the intent of the series and the seriousness of the content, these payments are a direct violation of A&E’s policies and practices for a documentary.”

These payments, A&E explained, also went against commitments it had made to anti-hate organizations before filming commenced. “We had previously provided assurances to the public and to our core partners — including the Anti-Defamation League and Color of Chance — that no payment was made to hate group members, and we believed that to be the case at the time,” the statement read.

“Our goal with this series has always been to expose and combat racism and hatred in all its forms,” A&E wrote, promising that its decision wouldn’t impact its larger goal to address those issues. “Just because this particular show goes away, the issues of hate in America do not. We will still seek to fight hate in America through on-air programming including town halls and documentary programs produced in partnership with civil rights organizations, as well as continue to work with the civil rights community to facilitate a deeper dialogue on ending hate through comprehensive educational and outreach campaigns.”

A&E released a trailer Friday for Escaping the KKK: A Documentary Series Exposing Hate in America, which was slated to debut on Jan. 10. After initially announcing the series Monday as Generation KKK, A&E faced an intense backlash and changed the project’s title. Along with the name change, the network had also shared plans to incorporate additional content from civil rights groups into the documentary.