Amos ’n’ Andy

American television program

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July 19, 2026

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The Amos 'n' Andy Show was a popular American radio and television program with roots in a 1926 radio show called Sam 'n' Henry. Created by white entertainers Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, the show debuted on radio in 1928. Gosden and Correll voiced the main characters, Amos and Andy, using stereotypical dialects and character traits from minstrel shows, which was considered objectionable due to racial stereotyping.12

The radio show became a national sensation. In 1951, CBS launched a television series with an all-black cast, featuring Alvin Childress and Spencer Williams as Amos and Andy. However, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) protested the show for its negative stereotypes of African Americans, leading CBS to cancel it in 1953, though it remained in syndication. The show's humor was criticized as offensive to African Americans, contributing to its eventual end.12

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Television in the United States
Sitcoms
…1949–53), The Goldbergs (CBS/NBC/DuMont, 1949–56), Amos ’n’ Andy (CBS, 1951–53), and The Life of Riley (NBC, 1949–50 and 1953–58). (It is noteworthy that these last three shows featured—if not always respectfully—Jewish, African American, and lower-income characters, respectively. These groups would see little representation in the sitcom again until the 1970s.)
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…1949–53), The Goldbergs (CBS/NBC/DuMont, 1949–56), Amos ’n’ Andy (CBS, 1951–53), and The Life of Riley (NBC, 1949–50 and 1953–58). (It is noteworthy that these last three shows featured—if not always respectfully—Jewish, African American, and lower-income characters, respectively. These groups would see little representation in the sitcom again until the 1970s.)
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