When Sanford and Son aired its episode titled “The Puerto Ricans Are Coming!” in 1973, the studio audience roared with laughter—but what happened during one jaw-dropping moment became one of the most controversial scenes in sitcom history.
In this episode, Fred Sanford (played by Redd Foxx) gets into a heated argument with a Puerto Rican neighbor, and in a flash of vintage Redd Foxx bravado, delivers a slap across the face that stunned audiences. It was scripted as comedic slapstick, but for 1970s America, it carried unexpected political and racial weight.
What many don’t know is that the slap was almost cut. Network executives feared backlash from viewers and advocacy groups, especially in an era when TV was still navigating how to portray race and ethnicity. But Redd Foxx insisted the scene stay. “If we’re gonna be real, we gotta be bold,” he reportedly told the producers.
The slap aired. And the response? Explosive.
TV critics debated whether Sanford and Son had gone too far. Advocacy groups for Latino representation filed complaints. NBC was flooded with letters—some furious, others praising the show for tackling uncomfortable truths with humor.
But perhaps most shocking was what happened behind the scenes: Redd Foxx refused to apologize. He felt the scene, however exaggerated, reflected the rough-edged, gritty tension between real neighbors in urban America. He defended it as satire—and stood his ground.
Ironically, the controversy boosted the show’s ratings. The episode became one of the most replayed in reruns, and decades later, is still referenced in film and media classes for its cultural significance.
That one slap? It wasn’t just comedy. It was a swing at the boundaries of 1970s television, and Sanford and Son never backed down.
