Nathan Fielder condemns Paramount+ over Holocaust-awareness episode removal

Jewish comedian Nathan Fielder has hit out at Paramount+ after it removed an episode of his earlier series Nathan For You that promoted Holocaust education.

The 2015 episode, “Horseback Riding/Man Zone”, featured Fielder’s creation of Summit Ice, a clothing brand donating profits to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. It was a response to Canadian company Taiga praising Holocaust denier Doug Collins.

Although Summit Ice went on to raise more than £240,000 and became a cult success, Fielder revealed on HBO’s The Rehearsal that the episode was allegedly quietly pulled in late 2023.

Paramount+ Germany reportedly removed it after October 7, citing discomfort with “anything that touches on antisemitism,” said Fielder. This act in Germany “triggered” the attention of other European Paramount branches, and they, in turn, pulled the episode too.

He added, “Before long, the ideology of Paramount+ Germany had spread to the entire globe, eliminating all Jewish content that made them uncomfortable.”

On The Rehearsal, Fielder recreated a fictional Paramount+ Germany office styled like a Nazi-era war room, confronting an actor playing an executive. “Look, I know you guys probably feel a lot of shame about what you did in the past,” he said, “but when it comes to art, you have to let us Jews express ourselves.”

In a twist, the actor broke character and accused Fielder of using his show to “smear” rather than seek understanding.

Paramount+ was reportedly unaware of Fielder’s portrayal in advance.A Paramount+ spokesperson told Jewish News on background: “I can confirm on background, this episode is not streaming on Paramount+ following a standards review.”

The episode remains available to stream on HBO’s platform, Max.