Fresh Off the Boat — the ABC sitcom based off of chef/rabble-rouser Eddie Huang's memoir of the same name — is drawing some serious backlash before its even aired. According to CNN, the team behind the show's Twitter account tweeted a graphic "featuring caricatures of different races underneath the phrase ‘We're all a little #FreshOffTheBoat.'" The graphic features faceless avatars sporting different hats from different cultures: a turban, a sombrero, and a bamboo hat. Zap2It points out that the image is "an extremely reductive way to represent several races."
The graphic in question:
gotta hear both sides cc: @MrEddieHuang pic.twitter.com/PoTEeaoDiQ
— jay caspian kang (@jaycaspiankang) January 30, 2015
Many were upset over the tweet, including Huang himself, who took to Twitter to express thoughts: "Maybe people are just fucking morons. [Y]ou have to be a mouth breathing psycho to make that graphic." Jeff Yang, the father of the show's star Hudson Yang, also got in on the action proclaiming that the ad was "awful." He then provided updates, nothing that the graphic was the fault of a social media agency and that production on the show was getting to the root of the problem. The tweet has been taken down and an ABC spokesperson tells Zap2It that the network currently has no comment on the situation.
.@originalspin @whoismims someone please reverse this @FreshOffABC at least they didn't do the native american with chicken pox blankie lol
— RICH HOMIE HUANG (@MrEddieHuang) January 29, 2015
@lxnro1988 @whoismims @originalspin maybe people are just fucking morons. you have to be a mouth breathing psycho to make that graphic
— RICH HOMIE HUANG (@MrEddieHuang) January 29, 2015
@originalspin @whoismims @FreshOffABC no dude. what are you talking about? how is this "well meaning"? this is flat out TERRIBLE
— RICH HOMIE HUANG (@MrEddieHuang) January 29, 2015
.@originalspin @whoismims @FreshOffABC the root cause is hiring people who have NEVER LIVED THESE LIVES and paying them to represent us
— RICH HOMIE HUANG (@MrEddieHuang) January 29, 2015
.@chineseguy88 people at studio actually listen to you cause you're a "good chinaman" lol could u please have them take the turban ad down?
— RICH HOMIE HUANG (@MrEddieHuang) January 29, 2015
Confirmed: That tweet is being yanked & the production is reading the riot act at the social media agency right now @whoismims @MrEddieHuang
— Jeff Yang (@originalspin) January 29, 2015
@whoismims @ConstanceWu @MrEddieHuang FWIW was just told production is demanding all hands mtg w/the heads of mktg to lock this shiz down.
— Jeff Yang (@originalspin) January 29, 2015
Fresh Off the Boat premieres February 4 with a double episode, and hopefully no more controversial tweets.