Hulu shifts Love, Victor, Taste the Nation premieres away from Juneteenth

Hulu is the latest entertainment entity to shift its programming in light of on-going anti-racism protests.

The streaming service announced Wednesday that the premieres for Love, Victor and Taste the Nation have been given slightly earlier dates away from their originally planned bows on June 19, which marks Juneteenth, the 155-year anniversary of the abolishment of slavery in America.

Juneteenth "represents an important turning point for our nation and for human rights, and we believe that now, more than ever, it deserves to have its own day in the spotlight," the statement reads. "For this reason, we are shifting the premiere dates for our new original series, Love, Victor and Taste the Nation, to June 17th and 18th, respectively."

Love, Victor, a television spin-off of the ground-breaking gay teen rom-com Love, Simon, focuses on a new student to Creekwood High, Victor (Michael Cimino), who's struggling with his sexual orientation. Taste the Nation stars Padma Lakshmi as she takes viewers on a jaunt across America to taste all the diverse foods the country's citizens have to offer.

In recent days, Paramount Network officially canceled the true-crime show Cops after more than three decades on the air, and HBO Max removed Gone With the Wind from the streaming platform to add more "historical context" for the controversial post-Civil War-era film. Netflix added a whole new section to its platform focusing on black creators, while other studios made certain films, like Warner Bros.' Just Mercy and Paramount's Selma, free to view.

The Walt Disney Company, which has full operational control of Hulu, vowed a total of $5 million in donations to social-justice organizations with the first $2 million going to the NAACP. "We are all part of the fight against injustice," the Hulu statement reads. "We believe that Black Lives Matter, and support those who are working to build a system based on equality. As a member of the Disney family, we are proud to support nonprofit orgs including the NAACP with $5M donated to drive positive change."

As shown on the actor's Instagram Stories, Cimino was among the celebrities joining the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, which were sparked by the death of George Floyd, the Minneapolis resident killed after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Jamie Foxx, Ariana Grande, Tessa Thompson, Timothée Chalamet, and Ellen Pompeo were also spotted on the ground.

To help combat systemic racism, please consider donating to these organizations:

• Campaign Zero, which is dedicated to ending police brutality in America through research-based strategies.
• Color of Change, which works to move decision makers in corporations and government to be more responsive to racial disparities.
• Equal Justice Initiative, which provides legal services to people who have been wrongly convicted, denied a fair trial, or abused in state jails and prisons.

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