'The Activist' Is Getting Retooled As A Documentary After Backlash

CBS is retooling The Activist after a backlash from social media users who expressed their disgust at the show's premise, which would see six activists compete to give presentations to world leaders at the G20 conference.

Variety reported yesterday that CBS is turning the show into a one-time documentary special instead of a five-episode competition series. Filming is expected to begin from scratch, and it's unclear how much, if any, of the original footage will be used in the documentary special and if the special will debut on October 22nd, as was originally planned.

Though originally announced in May, it wasn't until Usher, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, and Julianne Hough were announced as the competition's judges earlier this week that the firestorm started.

Usher: “Your TikTok dance about insulin rationing was inspiring, but 90 views is pathetic. For that reason, I'm out." https://t.co/r9hfBzKiXQ

— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) September 9, 2021

CBS responded to the criticisms by admitting the competition aspect of the show was a mistake.

…It has become apparent the format of the show as announced distracts from the vital work these incredible activists do in their communities every day. The push for global change is not a competition and requires a global effort. As a result, we are changing the format to remove the competitive element and reimagining the concept into a primetime documentary special (air date to be announced).

Hough took to her Instagram stories to address critics of the show on Tuesday, admitting that it was tone-deaf and that she shared her concerns with the "powers that be." She wrote:

After the press release announcing ‘The Activist,’ I heard you say that the show was performative, promoted pseudo-activism over real activism, felt tone-deaf, like ‘Black Mirror’/’The Hunger Games,’ and that the hosts weren’t qualified to assess activism because we are celebrities and not activists. I do not claim to be an activist and wholeheartedly agree that the judging aspect of the show missed the mark and furthermore, that I am not qualified to act as a judge. … I do not have all the answers yet. I’ve shared your concerns as well as my own with the powers that be, who I believe have listened. I have faith and confidence in the beautiful people that I’ve worked with will make the right choice and do the right thing moving forward. Not just for the show, but for the greater good.