Nick Jr. Pulls 'Made by Maddie' Following 'Hair Love' Comparisons
Silvergate Media's CEO said the forthcoming series began production two years before the short film by Matthew Cherry.
On Friday, Shadow and Act reported that Nickelodeon has removed Made by Maddie from its upcoming schedule following widespread critique on social media.
"Made by Maddie is a show we acquired several years ago from Silvergate Media," the company said in a statement. "Since announcing the show’s premiere date this week, we have been listening closely to the commentary, criticism and concern coming from both viewers and members of the creative community. In response, and out of respect to all voices in the conversation, we are removing the show from our schedule as we garner further insight into the creative journey of the show. We are grateful to Silvergate Media for all of their work. And we hold Matthew A. Cherry and the wonderful and inspiring Hair Love in the highest regard."
The upcoming Nick Jr. series Made by Maddie recently drew criticism on social media. After the trailer premiered on Monday, the Silvergate Media production drew comparisons to the Oscar-winning short film Hair Love, by Matthew A. Cherry.
On Wednesday Waheed Alli, CEO of Silvergate, told Entertainment Weekly that the confusion was purely coincidental, and that Made by Maddie was actually conceived two years before Matthew Cherry launched Hair Love's Kickstarter campaign in 2017.
"Made by Maddie is a preschool show about an 8-year-old girl who uses her fashion sense and design ingenuity to solve problems," Alli said. "Silvergate Media has been working on the series for the last five years and throughout the production has taken steps to ensure a diverse production team and an appropriate voice cast lending their expertise and talent. As creators ourselves, we have the utmost respect and admiration for Matthew A. Cherry and Hair Love, and our hope is that when people watch our show, they will see it is its own story with its own adventures."
Hair Love followed the journey of a Black father learning to style his daughter's hair for the first time. A statement about Made by Maddie, on the other hand, describes the protagonist of the show as a young Black girl who follows her dreams with the help of "her aspirational and talented fashion designer mom, Dee, and her super cool and upbeat musician dad, Rashad."
Users on social media noted the similarities between the two projects: both fathers on the show have dreadlocks, while the moms and daughters have curly natural hair. Others pointed out that Made by Maddie was created by a white woman.
Matthew Cherry has yet to directly comment on the similarities.