Wednesday’s Jenna Ortega has addressed the exit of Percy Hynes White from the show, describing it as a “weird redirect”.
The Netflix show follows Wednesday Addams (Ortega) as she attempts to solve a mystery at Nevermore Academy after discovering she inherited her mother’s, Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones), psychic abilities.
Netflix renewed the show for a second season following critical and commercial success, but Hynes White, who played fellow student Xavier Thorpe, was not retained for the follow-up after allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him.
Ortega, who has also starred with White in Winter Spring Summer or Fall, has commented upon her co-star’s departure as she told Vanity Fair: “[It is] a weird redirect, but we’re introducing so many different characters that I think it kind of will get lost. Wednesday’s world does feel slightly askew anyway.”
White, who has also starred in Pretty Hard Cases, was first accused of sexual misconduct in January 2023, with a woman on X/Twitter alleging – in a now deleted post – that he had assaulted her while she was intoxicated.
White was also accused of assaulting underage girls after giving them drugs and alcohol, with this first allegation being followed by several more.
White shared a statement in June 2023 denying the accusations (via Deadline): “Earlier this year, somebody I’ve never met started a campaign of misinformation about me online. Because of this, my family has been doxxed, and my friends have received death threats.
“Underage photos of me were used, and examples of me acting in character were presented as hateful. My friend Jane was falsely portrayed as a victim, and her attempts to set the record straight have been ignored. She gave me permission to include her in this message.
“The rumours are false. I can’t accept the portrayal of me as someone bigoted, or criminally negligent of people’s safety. These are the kind of baseless, harmful claims that can create mistrust toward victims.”
White isn’t the only star to depart Wednesday ahead of its second season, with Naomi J Ogawa and Jamie McShane – who played Yoko Tanaka and Donovan Galpin respectively – also exiting, though McShane is said to have a small guest role in season two.
Source: digitalspy.com