John Schneider Asks If ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Was ‘Racially Charged’ Due to General Lee’s Confederate Flag

Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider is once again addressing the issue of the General Lee. The Duke boys’ car, a 1969 Dodge Charger, was arguably the show’s central character, painted bright orange with a confederate flag painted on the roof. In a YouTube video posted on Friday, Schneider asked the show’s fans what they thought about it.

“Was the Dukes of Hazzard a racially-charged show?” Schneider asked. “Was the intention, which is important, was the intention of the design, the paint scheme, of the General Lee, a white supremacist statement in any way? And if you think it was, I want to know. I really want to know. Now I’ve been thrown in the middle of this stuff. I know what I think, but I wanna know what you think.”

“It’s a tough question. I know it’s a tough question, but be honest in your answer,” Schneider continued, asking people to leave their thoughts in the video’s comments section. “I can handle it, so can other people.” Since its posting on Friday, the video has received close to 25,000 comments, with a wide array of opinions on the topic.

Schneider, who played Beauregard “Bo” Duke on the CBS series, stressed that he has his own opinion on the topic. While he doesn’t clearly state what, exactly, that opinion is, he stated in December that he plans on voting for President Donald Trump in November despite him being impeached by the House of Representatives that same month.

The actor’s question comes amid ongoing Civil Rights protests across the U.S., and the rest of the world, calling for an end to police brutality and drastic policy reform. As the protests continue well into their third week, it’s caused a re-examination of a number of issues, including monuments to members of the Confederacy. This also includes the Confederate flag, which has recently been banned by NASCAR along with several branches of the military.

It’s not the first time Schneider has waded into the debate around the General Lee’s paint job. Back in October, a trailer for the film Christmas Cars saw Schneider’s character, Uncle Denver, run into some snags with his plan to sell memorabilia that featured the iconic car. However, as it plays out in the trailer, Schneider doesn’t agree and is determined to prove that the General Lee represents southern heritage and not what the Confederacy actually stood for.