Enrichment Arts & Culture

‘Red Table Talk’ canceled as Meta shuts down Facebook Watch originals

Facebook is pulling away from its originals to focus more on user-generated content.

by Myja Gary | Apr. 27, 2023

Jada Pinkett Smith appears on an episode of her online series “Red Table Talk.” (Jordan Fisher/Red Table Talk via AP)

Story at a glance

  • The Daytime Emmy award-winning series “Red Table Talk,” hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith, daughter Willow Smith and mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, has been canceled.
  • Meta is shutting down its Facebook Watch original programs, and “Red Table Talk” was the last remaining show to be canceled.  
  • Westbrook Studios is reportedly shopping for a new distributor for the series now that their deal with Facebook Watch has ended. 

(KTLA) – The Daytime Emmy award-winning series “Red Table Talk,” hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith, daughter Willow Smith and mother Adrienne Banfield-Norris, has been canceled, according to Variety.

Meta is shutting down its Facebook Watch original programs, and “Red Table Talk” was the last remaining show to be canceled.  

Produced by Jada and Will Smith’s production company, Westbrook Studios, “Red Table Talk” is a show that tackled current social and cultural issues from an intergenerational lens. 

News of the cancellation comes after the departure of Mina Lefevre, head of development and programming at Meta, amid layoffs that affected more than 20,000 of the company’s employees.

In 2020, Facebook began scaling back its original scripted programming after removing “Sorry For Your Loss” starring Elizabeth Olsen and “Limetown” starring Jessica Biel. The popular social platform then pivoted to more unscripted programming with recent shows like the Tom Brady docuseries “Tom vs. Time,” “Red Table Talk” and Steve Harvey’s talk show “Steve on Watch.” 

According to Deadline, Facebook is pulling away from its originals to focus more on user-generated content.

On the last episode of “Red Table Talk,” which premiered December 2022, Jada Pinkett Smith, daughter Willow Smith and mom Banfield-Norris hosted a special reunion with the cast of “A Different World” to celebrate the show’s 35th anniversary with exclusive behind-the-scenes stories, special memories, and a look back at their favorite episodes.

Westbrook Studios is reportedly shopping for a new distributor for the series now that their deal with Facebook Watch has ended. 

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