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Schitt's Creek's Dan Levy calls out Comedy Central India for removing gay kiss, fans say they've censored more

Levy wrote on Twitter, 'You showed the kiss between two women, you showed the kiss between a woman and a man, then removed the kiss between two men? This is a show about the power of inclusivity'

Dan Levy, the writer, creator, and star of the Emmy award-winning comedy series ‘Schitt’s Creek’, called out Comedy Central India on October 6 for censorship. Levy, commenting on a clip tweeted out by the Indian channel as a promo for season 5, criticized the network for not showing a “kiss between two men.”

The scene, which shows characters from the show play ‘spin the bottle’ at a party, includes same-sex kisses. Levy noted that Comedy Central India cut out the kiss between two male characters while keeping the other two which involved kisses between a man and a woman, and a woman and another woman.

He wrote, “You showed the kiss between two women, you showed the kiss between a woman and a man, then removed the kiss between two men? This is a show about the power of inclusivity. The censorship of gay intimacy is making a harmful statement against that message. #loveislove.”

He added in the following tweet, “I thought I made this pretty clear but for those who are confused, this is about a channel in India. @ComedyCentral in America is not censoring the show. They have been lovely and respectful. Thank you for your time.”

Neither censorship nor a conservative attitude towards homosexuality is uncommon in India, a country where an archaic colonial law that criminalized consensual gay sex was finally struck down only in 2018. Section 377, a law imposed during India’s British rule, penalized intercourse “against the order of nature”, and carried a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Levy’s tweet was received with overwhelming support from fans of ‘Schitt’s Creek’ who also heavily criticized Comedy Central India, and Indian television in general for recurring behavior of this kind. “Comedy Central India, surely you've heard of Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan? Like, Bollywood is more progressive than y'all…” wrote a Twitter user referencing the 2020 comedy that depicts a gay couple fighting one of their conservative family’s archaic notions. Another Twitter user pointed out, “If it makes you feel any better (not that it will), I think this channel also censored the word 'beef' in that FRIENDS episode where Rachel accidentally adds beef to a dessert. Completely ruining the joke. Censorship is vile in India.”

Another Twitter user said “Haha @danjlevy dragging @ComedyCentralIn for their self imposed ridiculous censorship. This is nothing, when they even mute out words like uterus, vas deferens on FRIENDS. Ironically in the 90s and early 00s there was ZERO censorship on tv shows. We're going back in time!”

Indian fans of the show continued to criticize the censorship, and in reference to that, the supposedly absent culture of tolerance. One fan wrote on Twitter, “Thank you @danjlevy for calling this out! #loveislove @ComedyCentralIn there’s a reflection of blinkered mindsets within the team that cut & approved this. Instead watch #SchittsCreek have a conversation on sensitivity & inclusion, something that’s missing from most Indian offices.” Another fan of the show said, “This is how #SchittsCreek connects with India... Censorship. Figures right? If it helps, this amazing show is also available on Netflix with all scenes intact & you have a lot of Indian fans who think it's simply the best. Glad Dan Levy found this & called it out!”

Even the official Twitter account of GLAAD weighed in with, “Schitt's Creek was designed by @danjlevy to be a place free from homophobia, so removing this kiss flies in the face of the show's intent and what makes Schitt’s Creek so extraordinary.”

All seasons of ‘Schitt’s Creek’ is currently available on Netflix for viewing.