‘The Simpsons’ Tiananmen Square Episode Missing From Disney+ Hong Kong; Discovery Leads to Censorship Concerns

An episode of The Simpsons in which the family visits Tiananmen Square is missing from Disney+’s Hong Kong platform.

Episode 12 of season 16 was found today to be absent from the streamer’s catalogue in the nation, which launched in Hong Kong earlier this month.

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The episode features the family going to China to try to adopt a baby. At one point, they visit Tiananmen Square, which was the site of a deadly crackdown in 1989 against democracy protestors. A satirical sign in the cartoon square reads “On this site, in 1989, nothing happened.”

At the time of publication, it is not clear whether Disney+ removed the episode or was ordered to by the authorities; Disney has not responded to requests for comment.

The discovery will lead to further concerns over censorship in Hong Kong.

A new censorship law introduced earlier this year forbids shows that might breach a national security law imposed by China and, just last week, Hong Kong’s Beijing-appointed leader, Carrie Lam, said she will “proactively plug loopholes” in the city’s internet and introduce regulations around fake news.

Among those who weighed in on the exclusion of the episode was Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who has been a critic of Hollywood’s editing of movies to gain entry into the Chinese marketplace. Cruz tweeted an image of Homer Simpson, screaming.

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