The Social Media Team For ABC's 'Fresh Off The Boat' Made A Really Dumb Decision
A week before its scheduled debut on ABC, the sitcom based on chef Eddie Huang's memoir Fresh Off the Boat has made a social media faux pas that reveals a pretty stark disconnect between the show's creative team and ABC's social media hires.
Around 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Fresh Off the Boat's official Twitter accounted posted this ill-considered graphic with the phrase, "We're All A Little #FreshOfftheBoat."
gotta hear both sides cc: @MrEddieHuang pic.twitter.com/PoTEeaoDiQ
— jay caspian kang (@jaycaspiankang) January 30, 2015
Not surprisingly, pretty much everyone thought it was a dumb idea.
On Twitter, Huang proceeded to blast the creators of the graphic for perpetuating "offensive and ridiculous" reductions of different races.
.@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
.@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
@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
Wall Street Journal columnist Jeff Yang, whose son Hudson Yang plays the young Eddie, agreed.
@whoismims @MrEddieHuang Wow that ad is awful
— Jeff Yang (@originalspin) January 29, 2015
ABC subsequently removed the tweet and explained that the graphic had come from a social media company hired to run Fresh Off the Boat's Twitter account. ABC has not commented on the matter.