Chris Lilley Slammed for Allegedly Using Blackface in Netflix Show: “Put This Sh*t Back in 2005”

Summer Heights High star Chris Lilley is no stranger to controversy, and he seems to have found himself at the center of a scandal once again. On Wednesday, Netflix dropped a trailer for his new series, Lunatics, which features a character that many viewers feel is wearing blackface. One of six new characters in the mockumentary , Jana is wearing an afro and has allegedly darkened her skin, two traits that social media users have called out as “racist” and “cultural appropriation.” This is not the first time that Lilley has come under fire for allegedly using blackface: according to Australian outlet Junkee, Lilley’s 2011 series Angry Boys featured him wearing blackface, and in 2017, he reignited the controversy by re-posting an old video of the character, S.Mouse.

Netflix describes Jana as a South African lesbian and “pet psychologist to the stars.” Additional details about her character are scarce, but the streaming giant did reveal that she’s one of six “extraordinary individuals” who will make up the 10-part mockumentary series. Lilley plays all six characters, a group that includes “a Real Estate Entrepreneur, a cutting edge Fashion Designer, a budding Museum Owner, an arts and crafts Influencer, and the future Earl of Gayhurst.”

Jana can be seen at the very beginning of the Lunatics trailer (check it out above) trying out her psychic skill on a Great Dane. “He’s telling me that your husband likes to play with himself a lot when you’re not here,” Jana tells a mortified wife. Additional images of the character show her wearing a large afro wig and what many believe is brown makeup on her face — two characteristics that are in line with earlier rumors about the project. According to Junkee, sources close to production suggested in May 2018 that Jana’s character was loosely based on Rachel Dolezal, an American woman who darkened her skin in order to claim African-American heritage.

Immediately after the trailer dropped, social media users, particularly those familiar with Lilley’s previous work, took to Twitter to call out the alleged use of blackface. “Chris Lilley is… being given money to make bad racist shows????” asked one user. “This c.nt is at it again,” wrote another. “Put this shit back in 2005 where it belongs,” said a third.

Lilley has yet to address the controversy or provide any additional information about Jana, but he doesn’t have much time to do so: Lunatics hits Netflix on Friday, April 19.