Hulu removes Astroworld: Concert From Hell special following "confusion" and backlash
What was branded on the site like any other original content was actually a local news special
Gabrielle Sanchez
Photo: Brandon Bell (Getty Images)
Confusion and anger swirled on social media yesterday after it appeared that Hulu uploaded and promoted a documentary titled Astroworld: Concert From Hell less than a month after 10 concertgoers died at the event.
What appeared to be a Hulu original documentary, with its own branding and description, was actually be an investigative special from Houston's ABC13/KTRK-TV news station which originally aired on November 20. The special was then uploaded to the streaming site without any involvement from Hulu in the production.
However, with the special promoted on the front page of the site with details that look like any of the other sensationalist documentary produced by Hulu, people took to social media and criticized the streamer's apparent lack of sensitivity and for "poor taste." Many stated that it's far too soon for a documentary on the tragedy.
On Hulu, the description for the 50-minute special reads: "Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival was supposed to be the concert of a lifetime. But it turned into a tragic nightmare. A minute-by-minute look at what happened in the crowd, the young victims who were killed, and what happens next."
Any evidence of the special has been removed from the streaming service, but the full video is still available on the website of Houston's ABC affiliate, and features interviews with attendees and footage from the concert.
In a statement, a Hulu spokesperson told Variety, "This was an investigative local news special from ABC13/KTRK-TV in Houston that originally aired on November 20th. This was not a Hulu documentary and has since been removed to avoid confusion."
Travis Scott, Drake, and event organizers are currently facing a $2 billion lawsuit from 282 of the 50,000 attendees at Astroworld on November 5 for their alleged role in the dangerous environment which caused the death of 10 people, including three minors.