You know how in school, it was always kind of funny when somebody’s name was printed wrong, or two people’s names and pictures were mixed up? Well it’s less funny when the mistake isn’t being made by a couple of high schoolers, but rather a major TV network. ABC had to apologize after airing a promo for Nightline that didn’t show Quantico star and Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, as was intended, but an entirely different Indian actress. Not a very smooth move on their part.
Quantico premiered Sunday night to solid ratings and critical acclaim for lead actress Chopra, so it makes sense that the actress is getting a lot of attention these days (though still nowhere near as much as she gets overseas). And to make matters all the more amusing to some and awful to others, the story being promoted was “How Quantico Star Priyanka Chopra Dealt With Race Issues,” so it was kind of like ABC was setting their own example within the story. That’s meta.
Here’s a shot of what ABC News ran.
That’s not Chopra at all, but actress Yukta Mookhey, an Indian actress, model and beauty queen. Now, to give ABC the slightest bit of credit, there is a clear path of error here that isn’t just someone mistaking Chopra with any random person. Both Mookhey and Chopra were winners of the Miss India and Miss World competitions, only Chopra’s win came in 2000, one year after Mookhey took the crown. It’s still a dumb error, mind you.
Here’s how ABC said they were sorry.
Chopra herself even retweeted High Heel Confidential’s tweet, so at least she had a sense of humor about it. ABC had already come under fire earlier in the year for airing Quantico ads that played up Chopra’s sexiness more than anything else about the show. It’s hard to imagine what they could do next where Chopra is concerned.
Quantico airs on ABC on Sunday nights.
