Netflix to Remove Controversial Suicide Scene From ‘13 Reasons Why'

The scene was scheduled to be removed following a controversy over whether the show increased the risk of teen suicide

A scene from the first episode of teen drama “13 Reasons Why,” with stars Katherine Langford, who plays Hannah Baker, and Dylan Minnette as her friend Clay Jensen. Photo: Beth Dubber/Netflix

By

Joe Flint

July 15, 2019 11:38 pm ET

Netflix Inc. is removing a controversial scene from an episode of the first season of its popular teen drama “13 Reasons Why,” people familiar with the matter said, following a sustained controversy over whether the show increased the risk of teen suicide.
Based on the book of the same name, “13 Reasons Why” is about a depressed high-school girl who takes her own life and sends a classmate a tape explaining why she did it and who she blames.
In the final episode of the first season—the story is told in flashback—the protagonist Hannah is shown slitting her wrists in the bathtub.
The scene was scheduled to be removed by Netflix on Tuesday, one of the people familiar with the matter said. The show is produced by Viacom Inc. ’s Paramount Television unit, which was on board with the decision to remove the scene, a person close to the show said. Netflix declined to comment.
“13 Reasons Why” has been praised by critics, but criticized by health advocates and some media watchdogs, who fear it glorifies suicide. The show, which premiered in March 2017, is set to start its third season later this year.
This year, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health suggested that “13 Reasons Why” was a factor in a rise in teen suicides. The study found that the suicide rate among people 10 to 17 went up by nearly a third in April 2017, the month after the show launched on Netflix. Some school officials issued warnings and guidance to parents about the show.
At the time of the study, a Netflix spokesman said, “It’s a critically important topic, and we have worked hard to ensure that we handle this sensitive issue responsibly.”
At the company’s 2018 annual meeting, Chief Executive Reed Hastings was asked about whether the show put teens at risk and he said, “It is controversial but nobody has to watch it.”
Inside Netflix, however, there has been growing discussion about whether the show could put teens at risk. After the first season, Netflix added a graphic-content warning and included information for a suicide prevention hotline and a website offering crisis counseling.
Altering a scene in a television show is rare, particularly when the episode in question has been available for more than two years. Certain episodes of TV shows have been pulled from the marketplace because of newly arisen sensitivities, most recently this year when the producers of “The Simpsons” removed an episode that featured the singer Michael Jackson.