‘The Activist’ Host Priyanka Chopra Apologizes After CBS Agrees to Retool Competition Show Into Doc

Priyanka Chopra-Jonas has apologized for the original premise of CBS’ “The Activist” one day after the network decided to retool the competition series into a documentary following backlash to the original idea. “I have been moved by the power of your voices over the past week,” Chopra, who was announced as co-host/judge of the show alongside Usher and Julianne Hough last week, said in a statement posted to Instagram on Thursday.

“At its core, Activism is (fueled) by cause and effect, and when people come together to raise their voice about something, there is always an effect. You were heard. The show got it wrong, and I’m sorry that my participation in it disappointed many of you.” She continued: “The intention was always to bring attention to the people behind the ideas and highlight the actions and impact of the causes they support tirelessly.

I’m happy to know that in this new format, their stories will be the highlight, and I’m proud to collaborate with partners who have their ear to the ground and know when it’s time to hit pause and re-evaluate.” CBS pulled the “The Activist” from its upcoming schedule Wednesday after backlash from online activist communities. The show will be reworked as a more straightforward documentary special, removing the competition aspect, the network said.

“The Activist” was set to premiere on Oct. 22, with a five-week run challenging a group of activitsts to “compete in missions, media stunts, digital campaigns and community events” with winners decided based on “online engagement, social metrics and hosts’ input.” Usher,

Julianne Hough and Chopra-Jonas were announced as hosts last week, drawing attention to the project and sparking the backlash from those who found the show’s competition format at odds with the work of activism. CBS and producers Global Citizen and Live Nation released a joint statement on Wednesday announcing the planned changes to the show’s format and the decision to remove it from the schedule.