Whistleblower site WikiLeaks recently leaked an email correspondence between PBS host Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton discussing Ben Affleck's request to omit his slave-owning ancestors from the PBS show "Finding Your Roots," the Huffington Post reports.

Affleck appeared on "Finding Your Roots" back in October to learn more about his familial history and his ancestors. But prior to his episode's release date, Affleck requested that PBS remove the segment about his slave-owning ancestors.

"Finding Your Roots" host Henry Louis Gates Jr. then discussed the matter with Lynton via email. Gates expressed his hesitancy over obliging to Affleck's request as he noted that editing certain parts of the episode go against PBS policy.

Gates also mentioned the fact that "Now, four or five of our guests this season descend from slave owners, including Ken Burns." Gates also mentioned that Affleck's ancestor "wasn't even a bad guy" in comparison to other ancestors they've come across on the show.

Still, Lynton advised Gates to oblige by "megastar" Affleck's request.

"I would take it out if no one knows, but if it gets out that you are editing the material based on this kind of sensitivity then it gets tricky. Again, all things being equal I would definitely take it out," Lynton replied.

Affleck's slave-owning ancestors were ultimately taken out of the episode, but now that the emails have been leaked, Gates was forced to release a statement defending his decision to edit the episode, the New York Daily News reports.

"We focused on what we felt were the most interesting aspects of his ancestry -- including a Revolutionary War ancestor, a 3rd great-grandfather who was an occult enthusiast, and his mother who marched for Civil Rights during the Freedom Summer of 1964," Gates explained.

PBS also released a statement to support Gates' decision. PBS described the edit as an "independent editorial judgment" that it fully stands by.

So far, Affleck has not responded publicly to the leaked emails.

Related