Photo Credit: A&E [Screenshot]

Photo Credit: A&E [Screenshot]

Grand opening, grand closing. Just days after debuting the trailer for their forthcoming docu-series Generation KKK, the program has been cancelled all together.

Naturally, anything involving the KKK would be met with extreme outrage, and many thought A&E to be attempting to “normalize” the hate group. The name of the show did not help, either. Upon seeing the trailer, it became clear that they were instead focusing more on how such a hate group negatively impacts the children involved, and even followed around a handful of people who were trying to escape. However, many did not see the trailer and backlash immediately ensued, so A&E opted to change the name to Escaping the KKK: A Documentary Series Exposing Hate in America to help avoid confusion. That didn’t work either.

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As outrage grew, A&E were made aware from the production company they’d hired to film the series that participants were paid for their appearance on the show. Initially, the network promised that Klan members would not be profiting at all from the show – which was another HUGE issue that everyone had with it. A&E didn’t find out until everything was wrapped and the trailer had premiered, however, and it was then they decied to pull the plug.

“We had previously provided assurances to the public and to our core partners – including the Anti-Defamation League and Color of Change – that no payment was made to hate group members,” A&E said in a statement. “[A]nd we believed that to be the case at the time. We have now decided not to move forward with airing this project.”

Check out the full statement below. I think this is best!

The documentary ‘Escaping the KKK’ was intended to serve as a close look at anti-hate extractors focused on helping people leave the Ku Klux Klan—the racist hate group with a long history of violence against African Americans and others. Our goal with this series has always been to expose and combat racism and hatred in all its forms.

However, 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. 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. We had previously provided assurances to the public and to our core partners – including the Anti-Defamation League and Color of Change – that no payment was made to hate group members, and we believed that to be the case at the time. We have now decided not to move forward with airing this project.

A&E takes the authenticity of its documentary programming and the subject of racism, hatred and violence very seriously. 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.