Peter Kramer/NBC(LOS ANGELES) — PBS has announced it has postponed the third season of Finding Your Roots after determining the show’s co-producers violated its standards with a 2014 episode involving Ben Affleck.
A hacked Sony email published by WikiLeaks in April showed that Affleck had requested the show not reveal that he had a slave-owning ancestor.
PBS said Wednesday that series co-producers violated its standards by failing to shield the creative and editorial process from improper influence, and by failing to inform PBS or producing station WNET of Affleck’s efforts to affect program content.
PBS said it was postponing the scheduling of season three pending the implementation of staffing and other “process changes” to ensure that similar problems are avoided in the future.
It also noted the commitment to a fourth season has been deferred until it is satisfied that editorial standards have been raised.
Affleck addressed the matter on his Facebook page in April, writing, “I didn’t want any television show about my family to include a guy who owned slaves. I was embarrassed. The very thought left a bad taste in my mouth.”
However, he also said he regretted his “initial thoughts that the issue of slavery not be included in the story.”
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