Canadian comic Nathan Fielder accused the film studio Paramount of erasing Jewish content from its streaming services over German “sensitivities” about antisemitism after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
During Sunday’s episode of his HBO show “The Rehearsal,” Fielder, who is Jewish, recounts how he discovered that Paramount removed a 2015 episode of his show “Nathan for You” in which he created a clothing brand that raises money for Holocaust awareness.
“The email said in late 2023, a decision was made by Paramount+ Germany to remove the episode in their region after they became uncomfortable with what they called ‘anything that touches on antisemitism’ in the aftermath of the ‘Israel/Hamas attacks,’” Fielder said. “This act by Germany triggered the attention of other European Paramount branches, and they, in turn, pulled the episode, too.”
“Before long, the ideology of Paramount+ Germany had spread to the entire globe, eliminating all Jewish content that made them uncomfortable,” he added.
Fielder noted that his searches for “Nazi” and “Hitler” on the streaming app returned dozens of results, while “Judaism” produced zero.
“We’ve been erased,” Fielder said.
‘You have to know your place’
As of Tuesday, a search for “Judaism” on Paramount+ now shows results including the Oct. 7 documentary “We Will Dance Again” and Quentin Tarantino’s film “Inglourious Basterds.” The season 3 episode of “Nathan for You” about the clothing company remains unavailable on Paramount+, though it continues to stream on HBO Max.
A spokesperson for Paramount confirmed to JNS that the episode “is not streaming on Paramount+ following a standards review.”
Fielder said that his apparel brand, Summit Ice, has raised millions of dollars for Holocaust awareness. The company’s website says that 100% of its profits have been donated to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Center and “other organizations that work to fight intolerance.”
The outerwear company’s newly updated “about” page jokes in Fielder’s deadpan comedic style about the apparent decline in sales after Paramount pulled the episode.
“In October of 2023, our sales plummeted by nearly 90%, and we couldn’t figure out why,” it says. “After extensive market research, only one answer made sense: Consumers had suddenly become more savvy about the quality of softshell jackets.”
Fielder concludes Sunday’s episode of “The Rehearsal” by confronting an actor whom he paid to improvise the role of a Paramount+ Germany executive depicted in Nazi-era clothing while a platoon of actors in SS uniforms wearing Paramount’s logo as armbands marched outside.
“I know you guys probably feel a lot of shame about what you did in the past, and now you’re trying to overcompensate by being the world leaders in fighting antisemitism,” the comedian said. “But when it comes to art, I think you have to know your place, and you have to let us Jews express ourselves because honestly, the way you’re approaching this whole thing, people might get the wrong idea about what you actually stand for.”
