After creating a major hoopla that led to the firing of Clayne Crawford & left a season 3 of Lethal Weapon in limbo, Damon Wayans has decided to leave Lethal Weapon. His run will in end in December after the initial 13-episode season 3 order ends.
Wayans made the announcement during an interview with the Electronic Urban Report. He had this to say about exiting:
“I am going to be quitting the show in December, after we finish the initial 13. So, I really don’t know what they’re planning but that’s what I’m planning. I’m a 58-year-old diabetic and I’m working 16-hour days.”
Lethal Weapon had real-life drama over the summer when a feud between Wayans & Clayne Crawford went public. Crawford was ultimately fired from the series for alleged “bad behavior” on set but Crawford later made it be known that Wayans was difficult to work with, didn’t do table reads, &, as early as season one, didn’t like or want to be on the show. Seann William Scott was hired to replace Crawford which clinched a season 3 renewal but what happens after the 13 episodes air is unknown. If Fox gives the show a back nine, they’ll have to replace Wayans.
According to multiple sources, all those involved with Lethal Weapon were completely blindsided by Wayans’ announcement. The actor notified neither the studio nor the Lethal Weapon producers before making the bombshell statement to Electronic Urban Report. The EUR was on set to cover various aspects of the show, including co-star Keesha Sharp making her directorial debut on the current episode being filmed. The EUR didn’t expect to get much from Wayans because he rarely does publicity for Lethal Weapon and he resisted/refused to do it early on and is not even asked to anymore.
Behind the scenes, talks with the actor started soon after his statements went public. It’s clear that he’s very emotional in the interview when discussing the show and the things he has missed out on with his family because of his commitments to the series. The show’s producers and executives want to find out whether his comments were a reaction to physical and mental exhaustion or a well thought-out and final decision.
There is a bit of a caveat about him trying to leave: Wayans is under contract for six seasons of the show. He could be asked to honor that commitment but that rarely happens as there is little point in forcing actors to fulfill contracts when they are unhappy and want out, as that makes for a miserable experience for everyone involved.
The news comes at a time when things are going well for the rebooted third season. Week two of season 3 retained 100% of its demo audience from the week before and the series saw a major lift in delayed viewing which suggests that fans are responding to the changes for season 3. Fox was definitely mulling, while not a full back nine, at least 2 additional episodes to be added to the 13-episode order but now they’ll have to go back to drawing board and really consider their options moving forward.
