Hulu removed a news special about the tragedy at the 2021 Astroworld Festival from its platform.
The special titled “Astroworld: Concert From Hell” dropped on Wednesday (Dec. 1) and chronicled the fatal event and its tragic aftermath.
“Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival was supposed to be the concert of a lifetime,” read the show’s synopsis. “But it turned into a tragic nightmare. A minute-by-minute look at what happened in the crowd, the young victims who were killed and what happens next.”
Word about the news special eventually got out, sparking reactions from social media users who expressed their displeasure with the content and its release amid an ongoing investigation into the fatal incident.
“Hulu making a documentary about Astroworld is in poor taste all around,” wrote Twitter user @LilAioli. “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.”
Hulu making a documentary about Astroworld is in poor taste all around.
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.
— Petty Slimane (@LilAioli) December 2, 2021
According to multiple news outlets, “Astroworld: Concert From Hell,” which contained interviews and press conferences featuring victims’ families, originally aired on ABC. As with other ABC specials, Hulu released the show onto its platform. User @DaKidGowie called ABC and the streaming platform out for attempting to profit off of the tragedy.
“Filming a series about #ASTROWORLD in the midst of tragedy is wildly insensitive,” he tweeted. “Families are still mourning, festival-goers are still traumatized, and some victims haven’t even been laid to rest yet. ABC and HULU saw their trauma as a cash grab. Cold world.”
Filming a series about #ASTROWORLD in the midst of tragedy is wildly insensitive. Families are still mourning, festival-goers are still traumatized, and some victims haven't even been laid to rest yet. ABC and HULU saw their trauma as a cash grab. Cold world.🤦🏾♂️
— Da Kid Gowie (@DaKidGowie) December 2, 2021
Following much controversy and backlash, Hulu removed the Astroworld special. The landing page and synopsis are still up for subscribers to see.
Travis Scott‘s Astroworld Festival took place last month in his hometown of Houston, Texas but ended tragically after many were trampled amid a sudden rush. Hundreds were injured and treated; ten individuals passed away as a result of the stampede.