Bill Schultz, a former executive producer on an animated kids TV series in development, is suing Al Roker and his production banner for alleged wrongdoing.
The lawsuit alleges that executives at Al Roker Entertainment “callously disregarded” a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program mandated by PBS.
Producer Sues Al Roker Over DEI Policy Failures https://t.co/Ajf8MxBHNk
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 16, 2024
The Hollywood Reporter says Schultz, who is white and known for his work on “The Simpsons,” “King of The Hill,” and “Garfield,” claims he was fired after he objected to the company’s failure to adhere to a diversity initiative aimed at bringing minority writers onto PBS television productions.
This program covered the majority of production expenses for the animated series “Weather Hunters.” And executives attempted to fulfill the program’s requirements by having black writers touch up scripts written by white scribes, creating the appearance of a diverse writers’ room.
The lawsuit, filed in New York federal court Tuesday, emphasizes the critical importance of efforts to enhance diversity, especially for PBS, considering that Weather Hunters’ target demographic was black families.
Schultz, however, asserts that executives at Al Roker Entertainment, allegedly granted “total authority” to manage the series by Roker himself, “treated the DEI Policy as discretionary and an obstacle to be circumvented.”
You can’t make this stuff up. #DEI plus @PBS woke rules bite back:
White male Jewish producer sues black Al Roker for whitewashing PBS’ mandated DEI requirements by having blacks lightly edit white writers’ scripts.
Where’s Uri on this proof? https://t.co/2SJAieqe8W
— LetitiaGreen MBA MEd (@VaActiveAngels) April 18, 2024
The complaint notes that Weather Hunters’ has “a unique ownership structure in which the majority of the show’s production costs (70%) are covered by PBS, while Al Roker Entertainment retains complete ownership of the series.”
The lawsuit alleges that shortly after an August 2023 meeting, where the show’s story editor asserted that he “could not meet the production schedule if BIPOC writers were used to write the stories” and indicated a need to hire experienced non-BIPOC writers, Schultz was served a notice for breaching his contract.
The notice focused particularly on staffing issues, among other allegations.
It stated, “Instead of giving the chances to BIPOC writers as had been the plan, the story editor, repeating a strategy previously advocated and backed by Al Roker Entertainment management in writing, wanted to have ‘non-BIPOC’ writers write the stories, and then bring on a ‘BIPOC’ writer and after the stories/episodes [were] shaped, they could be ‘hand[ed] off to BIPOC writers.’”
The lawsuit alleges that a month after the meeting, a Black producer who criticized the implementation of the DEI policy was reprimanded.
Schultz was suspended and subsequently terminated around the same time.
He blames management at Al Roker Entertainment for viewing DEI not as a requirement but merely as a “box to be checked in the most expedient manner possible” and as an “impediment to business as usual.”
The complaint includes claims for violations of New York’s human rights law, which prohibits discrimination based on race, as well as allegations of breach of contract and negligence, among others.
