Hulu blasted for upcoming 1619 Project adaptation: 'The pinnacle of ethno-narcissism'
Critics labeled the story as 'fantasy' and 'historical fiction'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hulu is the latest company to face backlash after a woke move to bring an adaptation of "The 1619 Project" to its platform later this month caught flak on Twitter.
A Tuesday post showcasing the upcoming six-part docuseries included a short video and tacked on a heavily-ridiculed caption: "The greatest story never told."
"Never told …. except literally nonstop for years!" New York Post politics and culture writer Jon Levine said in the thread.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}HERE'S WHERE THE 1619 PROJECT IS GAINING TRACTION AND FACING CHALLENGES IN THE US
Hulu icon shown on a smart device screen. Hulu came under fire on Tuesday for promoting its adaptation of Nikole Hannah-Jones' "The 1619 Project." (AP Photo/Dan Goodman, File)
Kingsley Cortes, a 2020 campaign member for former President Donald Trump, expanded on criticism, writing, "Greatest story never told because it’s fake."
The docuseries, set to premiere on Jan. 26, follows reporting from controversial New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and aims to make enslavement of Black Americans, as well as critical race theory-based deconstructions of capitalism, democracy and other key elements of American culture, its focal points.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital dug into Jones's claims that made controversy swirl for merging the definitions of journalism and activism, looking into how her reporting on the "1619 Project" led to a union between critical race theory and mainstream media reporting.
"The 1619 Project likely had something to do with the emergence of CRT coverage in mainstream media," National Director of Research at the American Federation for Children Corey DeAngelis told Fox News Digital last April.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The New York Times Magazine has garnered negative attention for the 1619 Project. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo)
"The project sparked a lot of debate about possible historical inaccuracies, and the Pulitzer Center website claims that about 4,500 classrooms have already included the 1619 Project's ideas in their curriculum since 2019. In fact, five school systems adopted the project broadly: Buffalo, New York; Washington, DC.; Chicago, Illinois; Wilmington, Delaware; and Winston-Salem, North Carolina."
Others, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, slammed the project as a "propaganda campaign on race" and Hoover Institution senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson said Jones "does not care about the truth."
Critics slammed "The 1619 Project" not only for promoting allegedly divisive rhetoric, "sweeping claims" and historical errors, but also for becoming an integral part of curriculum in some schools across the country that have adopted a critical race theory lens to study history.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Scott Greer, Daily Caller alum and "Highly Respected" podcast host called "The 1619 Project" the "pinnacle of ethno-narcissism" while radio host Erick Erickson slammed the video-streaming platform for "[engaging] in advancing the race based revisionist lies about the United States."
Others, including former congressional candidate David Giglio, mocked Jones' rhetoric as "historical fiction" or "fantasy," with Giglio writing a sarcastic, "Great, I love fiction!" on the thread.
"Really? Stop spreading misinformation. Do better @hulu," a Northampton County, Pennsylvania chapter of "Moms for Liberty" lambasted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones of the New York Times. Jones is responsible for the research behind the controversial critical race theory-based "1619 Project." (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Others in the thread said they would ditch their Hulu subscriptions in protest of the docuseries, including author Ryan James Girdusky and "American Greatness" journalist Rod Thompson.
"Okay, I’m canceling my HULU subscription," Girdusky said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Just in time to cancel Hulu," Thompson added. Others used the hashtag #CancelHulu to send a message to the platform.
Conservatives and libertarians alike lamabasted Hulu on Tuesday after the platform shared video promoting its upcoming "1619 Project" adaptation. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
While many criticized Hulu for electing to give "The 1619 Project" a new audience, others praised the platform for deciding to give Jones' journalism some special coverage and said they anticipated the docuseries' debut.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Marking my calendar!@nhannahjones," Michele Roberts, former NBA Players Association executive director and former attorney, tweeted Wednesday.
Writer Magari Hill echoed Roberts' enthusiasm, writing, "I'm excited," in her own tweet.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hulu is one of many companies to garner criticism for allegedly "woke" moves, following in the footsteps of others like Disney, whose Orlando resort not only lost its self-governing status after the company's outspoken opposition to Florida's "Parental Right in Education" law, but also saw lackluster box office performances with "Lightyear" and "Strange World."
In the past, Hulu also nixed its series called "Woke" after two seasons and video platform Netflix canceled an animated series based on Ibram X. Kendi's "Anti-Racist Baby" book.
Fox News' Kelsey Koberg, Cortney O'Brien and Kristine Parks contributed to this report.