Priyanka Chopra statement: Actor Priyanka Chopra’s upcoming reality show, The Activist, has been criticised on various social media platforms for the theme of the show. As per the netizens, the show aims to pit different activists against each other as they promote their charitable causes. Their success will then be measured via online engagement. They feel that this would lead to “monetization, commodification and trivialisation” of activism.
After facing backlash, Priyanka Chopra took to social media and addressed the controversy. She issued an apology and wrote that she is proud to work with people who know when its time to 'hit pause and re-evaluate'
Her post reads, “I have been moved by the power of your voices over the past week. At its core, Activism is fuelled by cause and effect, and when people come together to raise their voice about something, there is always an effect. You were heard. The show got it wrong, and I'm sorry that my participation in it disappointed many of you.” Here's the complete Instagram post.
There was also a joined apology issued by the organisations behind The Activist, namely Global Citizen, CBS, and Live Nation highlighting that that the show’s format would be changed to a documentary instead of a reality show, as planned earlier. Read more about it here.
“We are changing the format to remove the competitive element and reimagining the concept into a primetime documentary special (air date to be announced). It will showcase the tireless work of six activists and the impact they have advocating for causes they deeply believe in. Each activist will be awarded a cash grant for the organization of their choice, as was planned for the original show,” the joint statement read.
The finale of The Activist was supposed to take place at the G20 summit in Rome in October where the activists would have met world leaders and pitch their ideas. They would also have got an opportunity to secure funding for their cause and raise awareness.