The Office is making a change to an episode to take out the use of blackface. The episode in question, 2012’s “Dwight Christmas,” features Rainn Wilson‘s character, Dwight, trying to get his coworkers to participate in a Schrute family Dutch Christmas tradition. As part of his efforts, Dwight has Nate (Mark Proskch) dress up as Zwarte Piet, a companion to Saint Nicholas in Dutch folklore. The character was traditionally played by an actor in blackface.
“Dwight Christmas” aired as part of the ninth and final season of the Emmy-winning series.
Series creator Greg Daniels is behind the edit to the episode. The new version will be on Netflix, syndication and the other platforms the show is available to purchase.