Orlando Jones Claims he was Fired and Will Not Appear in "American Gods" Season 3
by Lindsay MacDonald
Dec. 14, 2019


Orlando Jones, who plays the trickster god Mr. Nancy, claims he has been fired from the series, and will not be in the upcoming Season 3.

Jones posted a video on Twitter announcing he'd been fired in September, saying, "I was fired from American Gods. There will be no more Mr. Nancy. Don't let these motherf---ers tell you they love Mr. Nancy. They don't. I'm not going to name names but the new Season 3 showrunner is Connecticut born and Yale-educated, so he's very smart and he thinks that Mr. Nancy's angry, get s--- done is the wrong message for black America.

That's right. This white man sits in that decision-making chair, and I'm sure he has many black BFFs who are his advisors and made it clear to him that if they did not get rid of that angry god Mr. Nancy, he'd start a Denmark Vesey uprising in this country. I mean, what else could it be?"




In response to Jones' video, an "American Gods" spokesperson provided the following statement to TV Guide:

"The storylines of American Gods have continually shifted and evolved to reflect the complex mythology of the source material. Mr. Jones' option was not picked up because Mr. Nancy, among other characters, is not featured in the portion of the book we are focusing on within Season 3.

Several new characters, many of which have already been announced, will be introduced into Shadow Moon's world that will further contribute to the show's legacy as one of the most diverse series on television."

https://www.tvguide.com/news/american-gods-orlando-jones-fired-season-3/







"American Gods'" Mousa Kraish Says he wasn't Asked to Return for Season 3
by Amanda Bell
Dec. 16, 2019


Another "American Gods" actor has been let go from the cast ahead of Season 3.

Mousa Kraish, who portrayed the Jinn in the first two seasons of the Starz series, has confirmed reports that he was not asked to return for the series' third run.



Kraish tweeted on Sunday:

"I can confirm that I wasn't asked to come back this season. It has been an honor to play the Jinn & live in his fiery eyed skin. This character has introduced me to so much and I was proud to represent not just the Middle Eastern community in such a positive role you don't normally see television but also the LGBTQ community that supported this character of color that you don't see on television."

https://www.tvguide.com/news/american-gods-season-3-mousa-kraish-not-returning/

Orlando Jones insists he was fired from American Gods, says he's contemplating legal action over his ouster (https://deadline.com/2019/12/orlando-jones-american-gods-firing-lawsuit-racism-fremantle-gabirielle-union-starz-1202810221/)

Fremantle has responded to Jones saying he was fired from the Starz series by stating that his contract wasn't picked up for Season 3. "If that is true," Jones tells Deadline, "then why didn’t you tell me that in April, May, June, July, or August when we were reaching out to you to get an understanding for what was going to happen with season three and then summarily call me on September 10 to say that, one. Two, why do I not have in my hand a release letter because when your option isn’t renewed with the studio that’s what they send you to let you know that so that you can go get other work. Where is that letter that is in my contract that you have to give me? You can’t just notify me by phone call. No contract works that way because other people want to make sure that they’re not infringing on Starz’s rights by looking to employ me as a series regular if I’m contracted elsewhere and they’re holding exclusivity. Three, why did you make a deal for three years if in fact it was a different creative direction and you know that’s what you were going to do then shouldn’t you have made a two-year deal with me as opposed to a three-year deal with me. Lastly, they were in contact with my manager all throughout those months and the conversation was clear." When asked if he's considering legal action, Jones responded: "Yes, but that’s all I can say on that right now."

Orlando Jones on deciding to speak out on his American Gods firing: "I wish they acted more respectfully" (https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/orlando-jones-fired-american-gods-interview-mr-nancy-1203436890/)

“I assumed at some point, somebody would say that I wasn’t going to be in season three,” Jones told Variety after releasing a video Saturday (https://www.primetimer.com/item/Orlando-Jones-I-was-fired-from-American-Gods-told-my-role-is-quot-wrong-message-for-black-America-quot-qdSKWd) saying he was fired in September because, he alleges, he was told by new showrunner Charles “Chic” Eglee his Mr. Nancy character was sending the "wrong message for black America." Jones added: “And I imagined that someone would reach out or, there would be some sort of press release out to respond to that in some meaningful way.” Jones said he fully expected to return for Season 3, and was even doing promotion for Starz over the summer. But then on Sept. 10, he was told he was let go. In a statement, producer Fremantle insisted that Jones was fired for creative reasons (https://pagesix.com/2019/12/15/american-gods-producer-insists-orlando-jones-not-fired-out-of-racism/). "The storylines of American Gods have continually shifted and evolved to reflect the complex mythology of the source material,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Mr. Jones’ option was not picked up because Mr. Nancy, among other characters, is not featured in the portion of the book we are focusing on within Season 3." Jones says he spoke out as a lesson for other actors who might find themselves in the same situation. “I wish these people acted more responsibly," he said. "I wish they acted more respectfully. And it would have been nice to get a proper ‘thank you’ and would have been nice to be paid,” he said. “You know, my children aren’t in cages. I’m not in Aleppo. I still see myself as very privileged and, and I’m super grateful. But nobody else needs to go through this. Not for doing your work, for doing your job, to get screwed over like this.”