AJLT Draws Criticism for Anti-Semitic Joke That Aired on Holocaust Remembrance Day: 'Not Planned'

Glenn Garner
·2 min read
matthew wilkas
matthew wilkas
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HBO Max

The writers of And Just Like That... are facing some criticism for an ill-timed joke.

In this week's episode of the Sex and the City revival, a newly single Anthony (Mario Cantone) arrives for dinner at Charlotte's (Kristin Davis) place with his date Justin (Matthew Wilkas), who remarks that the Holocaust was a hoax before Anthony immediately sends him away.

"Oh, is this a Jewish dinner?" Justin asks after Charlotte mentions taking the challah bread out of the oven. "You know the Holocaust is a hoax, right?"

Anthony quickly puts an end to the discussion, demanding that his date "get out!" He later apologizes for bringing Justin to the dinner gathering.

The comment has since drawn backlash for its unnecessary placement, as well as the fact that the episode, entitled "No Strings Attached," aired Thursday, which was International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Reps for Wilkas, HBO Max, showrunner Michael Patrick King and EPs Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

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On Twitter Thursday, Cantone, 62, shared a clip of the line, clarifying that the timing was not intentional. "The irony that this came out on Holocaust Remembrance Day... it was not planned but how fitting," he wrote.

Fans of the show still took issue with the comment, sharing their grievances on Twitter. "But remember the random holocaust denial 'joke'? WTF???" wrote one user.

"Wtf @AndJustLikeThat — a holocaust denier joke on Holocaust Memorial Day? Seriously… just like wtf wtf wtf," tweeted someone else.

"I mean — it's a good question. Why would @AndJustLikeThat @hbomax run an unfunny Holocaust denial joke on Holocaust Remembrance Day?" added another fan.

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Others praised Anthony's response to the situation. "Anthony's 'GET OUT!!!!' Should be the response to any and every Holocaust Denier…" one user wrote.

"Anthony screaming GET OUT at his holocaust denier date is going to be the thing that gets me through today," tweeted someone else.

Added another viewer: "Loved it how Anthony just got rid of his date for being a Holocaust denier so funny #AndJustLikeThat GET OUT!"

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is held every year on January 27, commemorating the day the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army in 1945, as well as the six million Jewish people and millions of other minorities who were killed under Nazi Germany.