Simpsons episode dropped from Disney+ in Hong Kong for Tiananmen Square joke

Disney+ has removed episode 12 from the 16th season of Simpsons for its reference to the Tiananmen Square in Hong Kong.

The streamer may have made this move in compliance with China’s censorship laws that are being imposed in Hong Kong as well. Bloomberg notes that this among the first cases of removal of content available on a US-based platform.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the episode “Goo Goo Gai Pan” featured the family on a visit to China where they come across the Tiananmen Square. A plaque there read: “On this site, in 1989, nothing happened.”

This is in reference to the Chinese government’s repeated attempts to suppress any and all discussion regarding the event. The student-led demonstrations that took place in the Beijing landmark in 1989 were violently stopped by the Chinese government, which led to the death of thousands. Last year, under the new national security law, vigils in memory of those who died were shut down.

Episodes 11 and 13 from the season are available in the territory on the platform that was launched on November 16.

This is not the first time Simpsons has run into controversy. The show often satirises real life events which has been met with backlash.

Whereas the Chinese censorship laws have put Hollywood films under scrutiny, as well as films that were released in the past.