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Michael Cudlitz (Abraham) posted on Twitter that Self-Help (S05E05) was almost pulled by the network.

almost censored

There have been a number of articles guessing what censors may have objected to, but they all note that they're just guesses.

Why did censors almost pull the episode?

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First, we should doubt the source, since the actors' own Twitter account can't be completely trusted (why would you pull a whole episode instead of just the controversial scene? what if it was just a promotional resource?)

Prior to the release of the episode some sources echoed Cudlitz's account and wondered if it could be violence, sex, cannibalism or the F-word.

Even after the release of the episode, it was unclear if or what was wrong with it. What could be "too much" in a show about zombies?

So my guess is, as this source says, that

Cudlitz was probably just exaggerating for the sake of a good tease

There is no official explanation from AMC, all websites you could check about the issue can't give you a plausible reason, even after the release of the episode. There is a source which stated (prior to the release) that

(The) episode of The Walking Dead would have a VERY difficult getting past the censors if they follow along with the comic book series.

But that is just more guessing. The comic event they would be referring, and that supposely might be too much for the censors would be

A flashback, in which Abraham’s family is hiding out at a grocery store when he decides to go on a supply run. When he returns, he finds that his wife and daughter have both been brutally raped and the assailants have forced his son to watch the whole thing.

But something like that probably would have been addressed by scriptwriters or executives from AMC long before a "censor" would have anything to say about the matter.

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  • I agree with this except for the use of the word f^ck because the word was used in the previous episode multiple times. I'd like to add that it could have been due to the suicide attempt by Abraham, since showing that is considered as taboo as showing a rape scene.
    – Robert
    Commented Nov 14, 2014 at 16:27

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