COMMENTARY: Roots Reboot Sparks Boycott, Debate, and Record Ratings

THROWBACK POST

Controversy quickly erupted over the premiere of the History Channel's re-boot of slave mini-series "Roots," a film that was originally adapted from the Alex Haley book of the same title 40 year ago.  Some African Americans joined the boycott bandwagon driven by West Coast rapper Snoop Dogg, based on the false claim that Hollywood is saturated with slave movies. The objections ranged from:  "There are too many slave movies on the market," to "There are not a enough positive depictions of Blacks in media," and "Blacks don't need to be reminded of the painful past." 

Snoop Dogg’s Protest

“Sick of this sh-t. How the f-ck they gonna put Roots on Memorial Day?” Snoop asked in a viral video. He accused Hollywood of “beating that sh-t into our heads” and demanded more stories about Black success. “The only success we have is Roots and 12 Years a Slave, and sh-t like that, huh?”

His solution: boycott. “Let’s create our own sh-t based on today. How we live and how we inspire people now. Black is what’s real.”

Others share the rapper's sentiment and this may be why. "Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing is a 2005 theoretical work by Joy DeGruy Leary.^[1] The book argues that the experience of slavery in the United States and the continued discrimination and oppression endured by African Americans creates intergenerational psychological trauma, leading to a psychological and behavioral syndrome common among present-day African Americans"

Painful History, Powerful Lessons

Experts note that revisiting slavery is difficult but necessary. Joy DeGruy Leary’s 2005 work Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome argues that the trauma of slavery and ongoing discrimination has left lasting psychological scars across generations. For many viewers, Roots forces confrontation with that legacy.

This reboot goes further than the 1977 original, weaving in new historical detail and cultural context learned over the past four decades. For some, it is their first exposure to the brutality of the Middle Passage and the resilience of enslaved Africans.

Ratings Tell a Different Story

Despite the boycott calls, audiences responded in droves. The premiere drew 5.3 million viewers on the History Channel and 8.5 million across simulcasts on Lifetime and A&E—making it the biggest miniseries launch in Nielsen history.

The Debate Over Representation

Critics of Snoop’s boycott point out that Hollywood has produced a wide range of films showcasing Black talent and achievement in recent years, including Creed, Straight Outta Compton, Concussion, Chi-Raq, Dope, and Beasts of No Nation. His claim that only slave narratives dominate the market is demonstrably false.

Why Roots Still Matters

The new Roots is unflinching. Part one depicts Kunta Kinte’s warrior origins, a slave revolt aboard a ship, and the brutal process of breaking him once in America. It is difficult to watch—but Haley’s family story is built on that foundation.

The freedom African Americans enjoy today was not free; it was purchased with blood and sweat. In an era of polarized politics, Roots remains as relevant as it was in the 1970s. With Black history often omitted from textbooks, films like Roots help fill the gap, reminding audiences how slavery, Jim Crow, and systemic marginalization shaped the present.