Lena Waithe Slammed For Portrayal Of Blacks In New Series ‘Them’

Lena Waithe Slammed For Portrayal Of Blacks In New Series ‘Them’

Lena Waithe’s latest project isn’t sitting well with a few fans.

The 10-episode anthology series Them premiered on Amazon Friday (April 9th) and has since been compared to Jordan Peele’s Get Out. 

Them was created by Little Marvin and a team of other notables in the industry including Lena Waithe. It tells the story of a Black family that moves to Compton during the Great Migration (an era when African Americans were leaving the South) in 1953. The family stays in an all-white neighborhood and doesn’t necessarily receive the warmest welcome. But as the series progresses, things take a much deeper turn.

A review from The L.A. Times sparked criticism against Lena Waithe to the point her name trended on Twitter as fans reacted Saturday (April 10t). The excerpt in the publication reads,

“While much of the menace in “Them” comes from things that go bump in the night, the most shocking horror lies in its most realistic scenes of racist violence, which are arguably more disturbing than the vivid images in its recent predecessors. The mayhem gains momentum in the fifth episode, which depicts the murder of a Black infant while his mother is raped and continues in a later episode with the blinding of a Black couple with hot pokers, and a white mob then burning them to death.”

A reader re-posted the article with the caption,

“Ain’t no f***ing way.”

Others chimed in, calling out Lena Waithe for the portrayals in the series and her other projects.

Do you agree with the criticism against Lena Waithe? Comment and let us know.