Following the show’s premiere, the actor was slammed by audiences for a semi-political one-liner in the first episode. The scene in question finds Allen’s character, Scott Calvin/Santa, suggesting, “Merry Christmas is suddenly problematic.”
The 69-year-old reprised his beloved role from the 1994 family film, The Santa Clause (and subsequent films), about a man who assumes the role of Santa after he accidentally kills the original Christmas icon.
The new series, which is releasing episodes weekly, finds Santa seeing the Christmas spirit dwindling around the world as the kids who once believed in him are now adults without any holiday cheer, which lends itself to the “war on Christmas” line.
Many fans took to Twitter to voice their concerns with the material, particularly in light of Allen’s oftentimes controversial political beliefs.
One user didn’t mince words, writing, “Santa had the red hat all along and we just ignored it,” a reference to former-president Donald Trump’s red “Make America Great Again” hats. Allen has previously supported Trump’s candidacy, even referring to himself as a “fiscal conservative.”
“It’s fitting that they have a snowflake playing Santa again,” another wrote.
A third took to Twitter, stating, “it just struck me as a truly weird thing to put in a kid’s series. “
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