‘We got it wrong’: Priyanka Chopra gets an apology after The Activist fiasco, show to get format change

Global Citizen, the organisation behind the recently announced reality competition show The Activist, has offered an apology after the show’s format attracted criticism from a section of the internet, and the activist community. Priyanka Chopra, Usher and Julianne Hough had been announced as the hosts the show.

In a statement shared on social media on Wednesday, Global Citizen admitted that it had got the idea ‘wrong’ and apologised to not only real activists, but also the hosts, who’d been dragged through the mud for associating themselves with the show.

“The Activist was designed to show a wide audience the passion, long hours, and ingenuity that activists put into changing the world, hopefully inspiring others to do the same,” Global Citizen’s statement read. “However, it has become apparent the format of the show as announced distracts from the vital work these incredible activists do in their communities every day. The push for global change is not a competition and requires a global effort.”

As a result, Global Citizen said, it would be ‘changing the format’ of the show to ‘remove the competition element’ and instead reshape it into a ‘primetime documentary special’. The show will centre around six activists and showcase their efforts to spread awareness about a variety of causes. The six activists will also be granted a cash amount for the cause of their choice.

Also read: Priyanka Chopra’s Activist reality show brutally trolled, compared to ‘end of world’ and ‘hell’

The Activist was originally described as ‘a competition series that features six inspiring activists teamed with three high-profile public figures working together to bring meaningful change to one of three vitally important world causes: health, education, and environment’. The contestants’ performances would be measured by the social media engagement their campaigns attract.

While Priyanka has been silent on the controversy, Julianne Hough released an independent statement in which she admitted that she wasn’t qualified to judge activism, and said that she is willing to listen and learn.