Hulu Criticized For Releasing 'Astroworld: Concert From Hell' Documentary
This was way too soon.
Hulu / Christian Bertrand / Shutterstock.com Twitter went up in flames yesterday after popular streaming service, Hulu, uploaded what seemed like a documentary about the Astroworld tragedy that left 10 people dead and over 300 others injured just three weeks after the tragedy occurred.
The documentary, titled Astroworld: Concert From Hell, was actually a 50-minute report from ABC, pieced together through interviews, videos within the concert, and bulletins that aired on ABC during and proceeding the tragic event.
Did Hulu remove the 'Astroworld' documentary?
Hulu swiftly pulled the ABC report on Travis Scott's Astroworld following sharp criticism across social media.
After the upload, people quickly went to social media to voice their concerns over what they felt was an insensitive move by the popular streaming service.
Many people joked about the upload, but others thought it was “in poor taste.”
“Hulu making a documentary about Astroworld is in poor taste all around,” said one Twitter user.
“People are still burying their loved ones. The legal cases haven’t even started. Great documentaries are done when all the facts are laid out. Not enough time has passed to fully discuss this.”
It should be clarified that "documentary" was not produced by Hulu nor was it really a documentary. It was more of an in-depth report on the tragic Houston event.
The concert tragedy, which occurred on November 5th, saw a lot of backlash from people who claimed that Travis Scott should have and could have done way more to stop the events that transpired.
As a result, Scott offered up a free month of therapy with the counseling service BetterHelp, as well as refunds for all concertgoers and financial compensation for the families who suffered the loss of their children or family members.
One of the families affected have declined the money from Scott, who also posted an apology video that many deemed insincere or fake.
A lot of the people who started watching the Hulu special were kicked out of the stream halfway through, claiming that Hulu removed the documentary and kicked them out as a result.
'Astroworld: Concert From Hell' is still available on ABC.
“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,” a Hulu spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.
However, the damage had already been done and it’s unclear whether or not — after clarifying that it wasn’t a Hulu documentary — if they would reupload the special.
The 50-minute original special can still be found and watched on the ABC13 website and explains what exactly happened that fateful night.
Several large lawsuits have been filed on the behalf of the hundreds of concert-goers against Scott, who faces nearly $2 billion in damages to be paid and will likely be affected by the tragedy for years to come.
Some fans noticed that if anyone who went to the concert were to accept the refund, they’d waive their rights to a lawsuit because the refund could be used as a settlement clause.
Everyone seems to want Scott to pay dearly for his inaction that caused the death and injury of so many of his fans in one of the biggest concert tragedies to ever occur.
Scott has a history of egging his audiences on to “rage” and rebel against authorities, as well as hopping fences and running through gates and past security to be able to see his shows and overcrowd.
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Follow him on Twitter here.