Astroworld Documentary Pulled From Hulu After Intense Backlash
Hulu had posted a documentary about the Astroworld tragedy on their platform but quickly took it down following intense backlash.
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The Astroworld tragedy in Houston was a horrific event that remains one of the sadder, more avoidable sets of circumstances we’ve seen in some time. In all, ten people died in the crush of fans storming to get near the stage during a performance by headliner Travis Scott. Now, Hulu is facing some backlash over their decision to air a documentary about the event on the streamer. The outcry was so swift and harsh that Hulu opted to just take the program down altogether off of their platform.
Variety is reporting that Hulu opted to remove the documentary Astroworld: Concert from Hell after numerous users and outlets claimed that airing it so soon after the event was in poor taste. The documentary wasn’t a Hulu exclusive but was rather brought in from a local Houston station, KTRK which is an ABC affiliate in the area. They had done an investigative research piece about the events and turned it into a 50-minute program. The program originally went up on the streamer on Wednesday, December 1st, but was pulled within 48 hours because of the overwhelmingly negative response.
Some of these complaints and backlash about the Astroworld documentary came via Twitter with many making it clear that airing the documentary so soon was a bad choice. Whether these specific tweets were the reason Hulu decided to take it down off their platform, or whether there was a cumulative effect isn’t clear. But there didn’t seem to be many who came in on the side of the streamer on this one.
The Astroworld tragedy occurred on November 5th at NRG Park in Houston. It took its name from the location, placed near what used to be Six Flags Astroworld. More than 50,000 people were in attendance for the concert which featured the aforementioned Travis Scott as well as Master P, Roddy Ricch, Lil Baby, and others. But things went very wrong when Travis Scott took to the stage. There was a surge in the crowd as people tried to get closer to the stage and it led to a crush among the throngs.
In the surge and crush of the crowd, people in attendance were unable to breathe and many lost consciousness. Before the crowd could be controlled eight people lost their life succumbing to injuries inflicted when they couldn’t get away from the mass of people. Two more died in the following days because of injuries sustained during the event. In all, more than 300 people were treated for injuries. During this time, seemingly unaware of what was happening in the massive crowd, Travis Scott continued to perform his set.
As often happens with these tragic events, there have been multiple lawsuits filed against Travis Scott, Live Nation, and others involved with the Astroworld concert. The largest one comes from 282 plaintiffs who are seeking more than $2 billion in collective damages from the event. Apple, who live-streamed the event, has also been named in that suit. Plus, Drake, who made a special surprise appearance during the Scott performance was named as well.
