Pepe Le Pew has been a controversial “Looney Tunes” character for a while now. Sure, as a kid, you look at the skunk that is always chasing women as a silly, somewhat creepy character. But as you grow into adulthood and reminisce about the antics of Pepe, it’s clear that the character might not be the best role model for children who are learning about how to woo a significant other, considering he often grabs them, forces them into unwanted affection, and other various things that would land a human in serious trouble. Well, it appears the reckoning has come for Pepe Le Pew and his acting career might be in trouble.
Recently, a tweet by a New York Times columnist, Charles M. Blow, went viral, as the writer questioned why right-wing blogs are targeting him for calling out the actions of the cartoon skunk, Pepe Le Pew. In his tweet, Blow said, “RW blogs are mad bc I said Pepe Le Pew added to rape culture. Let’s see. 1. He grabs/kisses a girl/stranger, repeatedly, w/o consent and against her will. 2. She struggles mightily to get away from him, but he won’t release her 3. He locks a door to prevent her from escaping.”
As you might expect, this tweet caused a bit of a stir on social media. Of course, it’s not the first time that people have called out Pepe Le Pew’s cartoon antics, but with “Space Jam 2” on the horizon, it brought a lot of questions up about whether or not Warner Bros. was going to include the character in the upcoming sequel. Well, according to Deadline, the answer is no.
The report claims that there was a planned scene featuring the skunk in the live-action/animated feature. The scene included actress Greice Santo and Pepe Le Pew, but the context is still unknown. However, Deadline says the scene has already been cut from the final film. The report claims the decision to remove Pepe Le Pew from the film has nothing to do with Blow’s comments.
Regardless of the reason, there are now people adding Pepe Le Pew to the list of “canceled” icons that include Dr. Suess and others. So, it must be a sad day for those that are upset that a cartoon skunk with a bad accent isn’t going to be in their LeBron James-starring basketball in space kids movie.
“Space Jam: A New Legacy” arrives on HBO Max and in theaters on July 16.