Weeks after an explosive retrospective about the children’s network Nickelodeon, a major magazine turned its attention to Disney’s “Kids Incorporated,” the scripted series that aired from 1984 to 1993, for a “Where Are They Now” feature.
The once-popular series depicted a band of kids navigating crushes, friendships, peer pressure, and occasionally addressing serious topics like abuse, all while emphasizing musical performances integral to each episode, launching the careers of several major stars.
Profiles of the show’s white and Latino cast members: Mario Lopez, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson, Marta “Martika” Marrero, Eric Balfour, Ryan Lambert, and Moosie Drier” were featured in People.
However, the outlet neglected to do a write up on the series only Black cast main member, “The Kid,” played by singer/ actor Rahsaan Patterson. This sparked outrage from many fans of the show, including comedian, D.L. Hugley.
The “Where You Are” artist noticed the omission and took to social media to blast the publication.
“Just wanna ask @stephivainashe @wendy_naugle and @people why she left me out of this cast list….?? Normally I would let it be what it is. But on April 14th 2024 …. not so much….. Really “sis” ?” Patterson captioned on Instagram, noting that despite him calling out People, it has nothing to do with his cast mates and all the other artists that he has worked with.
He then posted another message that said, “Over the years I’ve gotten used to being excluded. However, being omitted from this @people article hits different.”
After the post, his fans, the Pattersonians, went into action, blowing up the editor and writer for the omission, and expressing their outrage.
One famous Pattersonian, Hughley led the charge, commenting, “How could @rahsaanpatterson be left out?! @stephivainashe @people Cmon now, we all know who the KID in Kids Incorporated was. Rahsaan was and IS A STAR!!”
@people Why did you omit Rahsaan Patterson from this article? Particularly when you used his pic AND he is just as famous as Fergie?
See a Young Fergie and the Cast of Kids Incorporated, Then and Now https://t.co/pmPUdPLPTs via @people
— Qween_B (@4realmzbrown) April 14, 2024
“@stephivainashe as I slide looking for our incredibly talented and Amazing Brother Rahsaan, I am immensely disappointed and astonished by your lack of true research. @people What is the reason for this?” another person wrote, adding, “A Redo and apology is needed IMMEDIATELY! Rahsaan is a HERE Then AND NOW!!”
Many noted how “disrespectful” his exclusion was stating, “Nasty work…but you the goat and we all know it!” followed by someone else writing that the publication missed an opportunity to talk about Rahsaan’s impact as a cast member from 1984 to 1987.
“@people WHY? @stephivainashe WHY? This was a PRIME opportunity to talk about how much @rahsaanpatterson made a difference for black and brown kids to be on this show. This afforded these children to dream even bigger and ummmm you left the main person @rahsaanpatterson out….. why?” the person explained. “To highlight a person that we don’t even remember being on the show… Wow! Beyond tacky @people Beyond tacky @stephivainashe.”
Within hours, People reached out to Patterson and apologized for the error, endeavoring to rectify the mistake made by Stephanie Sengwe, the Black author of the feature.
The singer posted, “The People magazine article has been updated. Thank you to Wendy Naugle, People Magazine’s ‘Editor In Chief’ for direct messaging me and working to immediately rectify the situation.”
“To all who commented,” he continued, “I’m sending love in full gratitude for the support shown over the last 40 years of my career. Thank you kindly, RP.”
The update included four sentences about Patterson’s life, describing him as “a main fixture on the show.”
It continued, “Following Kids Inc., Patterson went on to launch a successful music career, releasing seven studio albums between 1997 and 2019. These days, Patterson, now 50, continues to work as a musician, touring across the globe. He is currently slated to perform at Southbank Centre’s Meltdown festival — curated by Chaka Khan this year — in London from June 14 to June 23.”
While some fans felt vindicated, others still feel the artist was still slighted. Particularly since, the other profiles were three to four paragraphs and gave in-depth outlines of what the actors had been doing after the show.
One fan summed it up, “Glad they fixed that article. It was sloppy work. And honestly, they owe you a whole feature.”