Netflix’s Wednesday rumored to have dropped star over assault allegations

According to a new exclusive from DailyMail.com, Wednesday star Percy Hynes White, who played the lead role of Xavier Thorpe in the first season of the hit Netflix show, might have been dropped from the forthcoming second season due to assault allegations.

The article states that Netflix has written his character out of the second season after an anonymous social media user accused him of sexual assault at a party. In January, the alleged victim took to Twitter (now “X”) and claimed that Hynes White had thrown the party purposefully to try and get women drunk and take advantage of them. The tweet has since been deleted.

The 22-year-old Canadian actor has denied the allegations. He posted a statement accusing the poster of starting a “campaign of misinformation” against him, adding that since the initial tweet, he and his family had been doxxed and become the recipient of death threats. You can read his entire statement on his Instagram.

In the aftermath of the allegation, several trending hashtags have gone viral with fans of the show asking for Netflix to fire Percy. The actor’s father, Canadian writer Joel Thomas Hynes, posted in support of his son, writing:

"“This anonymous online hatred, it’s powerful stuff. But what truly empowers these types of campaigns is the culture of fear and silence that prevents ANYONE from speaking up for the wrongly accused – lest the mob should turn their beady eyes on you and yours.If publicly offering my support for my kind and gentle, massively talented son equates to me throwing myself to the wolves – so be it, come what may,”"

You can read the rest of his statement at the source. DailyMail.com reports that the Wednesday star’s mom, producer Sherry White, reposted Joel’s statement, signifying support for her son.

While Jenna Ortega has not commented on the allegations against Hynes White, she did receive backlash from fans after she went on Dax Shepard’s podcast Armchair Expert in March and talked about her close friendship with her co-star. Ortega later deactivated her Twitter account. The pair will also star together in the upcoming rom-com Winter Spring Summer or Fall.

Will Percy Hynes White be in Wednesday season 2?

It should be noted that while DailyMail.com quotes industry insiders and a source who is reportedly close friends with the Hynes White family, there has been no official confirmation or statement regarding Hynes White’s status on the show from Netflix or anyone else involved with Wednesday‘s production.

The DailyMail.com exclusive says industry insiders told the outlet that Hynes White had been written out of the second season, adding that a source close to his family confirmed the news.

The insider said, “For Netflix to drop him from the show is a disgrace. It was just false rumors. It’s just not right,” adding, “Percy will be just fine. People in the business know his character and talent. Netflix and the show Wednesday, should be ashamed of themselves for treating him so unfairly.”

Given that the SAG and WGA strikes are still ongoing, it’s hard to imagine contract negotiations going on behind the scenes right now. DailyMail.com writes: “Netflix is claiming that because of the strikes now besetting Hollywood, no decision on casting has been made.”

Wednesdsay season 2 to focus less on romance

Jenna Ortega previously said that Wednesday season 2 would remove the romantic aspect from the show that was one of the most criticized elements of the first season.

Hynes White’s character was a love interest for Wednesday in season 1, so if Netflix does opt to write out Xavier Thorpe’s character, they could justify it by saying they don’t need him anymore given the change in focus. If this DailyMail.com exclusive is true, it could be a pre-emptive way for Hynes White’s team to get in front of the news.

Again, for now, all of this is still very much a rumor, so take the news with a grain of salt. There is no confirmation that Percy Hynes White has actually been fired from Wednesday season 2. Stay tuned to Netflix Life for more updates.