Barry Jenkins Shocked By ‘Underground Railroad’ Being Used As July 4th Fodder

The director of The Underground Railroad series is reacting to Amazon Prime Video’s suggesting the show as a way to “get in the Fourth of July spirit.”

Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins sounded off on Twitter on July 3 after taking notice of how his Golden Globe-winning show was promoted ahead of Independence Day. In a since-deleted tweet captured by Complex, Jenkins shared a screenshot showing his show’s description as “Prime Get in the Fourth of July Spirit.”

Jenkins was taken aback by the wording, considering his series follows the secret routes that escaped slaves used on their quest for freedom. Plus, the subject matter he covered has nothing to do with America’s independence on the 4th of July.

“Clearly this is some algorithm madness,” jenkins tweeted, “Though Homer WOULD be the one to use here… so there’s that).”

Others agreed and questioned Amazon Prime’s intention in the show description.

“This actually feels like an appropriate way to mark the birth of this nation,” one user quipped.

“The Underground Railroad x How to Blow Up a Pipeline Cocktail may be just what America needs this July 4th,” another user sarcastically added.

“So this is @amazon chiming in on the critical race theory discourse, right?” asked someone else.

So this is @amazon chiming in on the critical race theory discourse, right? https://t.co/YBfqtXtwQg

— Lulu Wang (@thumbelulu) July 3, 2023

Jenkins had a few of the responses listed under his “liked” tweets, with one user saying he’d seen the series listed under “iconic eras.”

The Underground Railroad x How to Blow Up a Pipeline Cocktail may be just what America needs this July 4th https://t.co/0ExnoW1aYl

— wes thee director (@wes_andre97) July 4, 2023

I’ve also seen it categorized with ‘Iconic eras’

— Kyle Brazzel (@KyleBrazzel) July 4, 2023

The Underground Railroad, which premiered on Prime Video in May 2021, is based on Colson Whitehead’s 2016 novel of the same name. It follows the journey of Cora, a young woman who discovers the secret network that helped dozens of enslaved people like herself escape the Deep South to freedom in the North.

Jenkins’ series won the Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film, the BAFTA for Best International Programme, and a Peabody Award. It was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.