Ladies, gentlemen, and Love Island fans all across America — I got a text! Love Island: USA is back and better than ever for season 6, arriving even sooner than you might think…

For those who are unfamiliar with the beloved competition series — with the American iteration streaming exclusively on Peacock — Love Island: USA brings a group of sexy singles together in a stunning Fijian villa to look for love with one another, as well as vie for a massive cash prize. With recoupling ceremonies and dumpings that are sure to leave your jaws dropped, as well as hot new bombshells that arrive every so often to shake up the current couples, Love Island: USA will undoubtedly have your eyes glued to your television screen almost every night, jam-packed with juicy drama, and season 6 will be no exception.

According to a synopsis for season 6, contestants (also known as islanders) will “face more drama than ever before with jaw-dropping revelations, brand new couples challenges, and even a few surprise guests,” but when will it finally grace our television screens? Today (May 7), Peacock shared the official premiere date via social media — as well as a sneak peek of the brand new host of the hit competition show — in a Barbie-esque teaser trailer. Keep scrolling to find out all of the nitty gritty details for yourself…

Love Island: USA season 6 will premiere on June 11

In the teaser trailer — which shows the season 6 host, Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix, channeling her inner Barbie while heading off to the Fijian villa, enjoying the sunshine, riding a moped, sitting atop a plane, parachuting, surfing, and more — narrator Iain Stirling announces that Love Island: USA will premiere on June 11.

Naturally, fans of the hit competition show took to the comment section to express their enthusiasm for both the sooner-than-expected premiere date, as well as Madix’s hosting debut (with the exception of guest hosting a few challenges on season 5 of Love Island: USA and season 1 of Love Island Games):

“Omfggggg yessssssss soooooo excited for this and happy for the queeennnnn to host! @arianamadix ”

“@iaindoesjokes and @arianamadix on my screen for my favorite show of all time?! I’m so excited!!! 🩷🩷”

“Summer is going to be lit ”

“Summer is SAVED ”

With this teaser trailer alone, it looks like season 6 of Love Island: USA is gearing up to trump all of the others. After all, Ariana Madix is a real life Barbie!

Nonetheless, be sure to mark your calendars and renew your Peacock subscriptions, as well as keep up with @loveislandusa on social media for updates regarding the season 6 cast and more. It is impossible to know for sure until the cast is announced, but hopefully some hunks and heartthrobs will be gracing our television screens this summer!

After season 25 of Big Brother was a train wreck (for lack of a better phrase), the beloved competition series is getting a chance at redemption with season 26, premiering this summer on CBS.

For those who have been living under a rock — AKA those who are unfamiliar with the hit competition show — Big Brother brings a group of individuals from all different backgrounds and walks of life together in a mansion (or should we say a soundstage) in Los Angeles, California for a high-stakes social and strategic game to earn a $750,000 cash prize.

With each and every contestant (or should we say each and every houseguest) under 24/7 surveillance, cameras and microphones capture their every move as they compete for the Head of Household (HOH). The HOH is able to nominate people for eviction — who can avoid being on the block by winning a Power of Veto (POV) competition later in the week — but the week ends with someone being eliminated from the show nonetheless. Naturally, Big Brother is filled with backstabbing and betrayal!

With season 25 having a later start and lasting longer than ever, fans of the show were thrilled to see that season 26 will get back to its usual summertime slot. What is the official premiere date, you may ask? Fortunately, we got you covered, as CBS took to social media to announce the premiere date today (May 7).

Big Brother 26 will premiere on July 17 and July 18

Big Brother will return to our television screens with a two night premiere on July 17 and July 18, with the network sharing the oh-so exciting news in an Instagram reel:

“Wait, did you see that? #BB26 is coming your way for a TWO NIGHT premiere on Wednesday July 17 and Thursday July 18! Mark your calendars for a whole new season of #BigBrother“

Some Big Brother alums expressed their excitement in the comment section of the post as well:

Derek “Big D” Frazier: “It’s that time again! We are ready to JUDGE these houseguests ”

Derek Xiao: “Lock in!”

Matt “Turner” Turner: “Oh we are so back.”

With longtime host Julie Chen Moonves serving as the face of the Instagram reel, it is safe to say that she will be returning as the host of season 26. While this is unsurprising, fans of the beloved competition series were thrilled to see her reprise her role nonetheless.

Be sure to mark your calendars and keep up with the hit competition show via Instagram @bigbrothercbs for cast announcements and more. With season 25 having some mixed reviews (mostly negative reviews) from viewers all across America, hopefully season 26 proves that Big Brother is back and better than ever!

With filming for The Bachelorette officially underway — and quickly coming to a close — it is safe to say that season 21 will be a season like no other. The leading lady and first Asian-American Bachelorette, Jenn Tran, is truly a trailblazer!

While the Bachelor Nation encyclopedia in human form, Reality Steve, has been sporadically teasing this season’s dates as they film — such as the first group date of the season, which will feature “men in boxers and thongs” — as he receives paparazzi pics and spoilers from anonymous sources, he is now down to the biggest week that the beloved competition series has to offer: hometown dates.

During the coveted hometown dates, the Bachelorette visits the families of her final four men in their hometowns, respectively, proving that she is seriously considering a marriage with at least one of said suitors. With the hometown dates wrapping up as we speak, Reality Steve managed to pinpoint two of the contestants who undoubtedly advanced to the final four, and it is safe to say that Jenn has a hunky batch of men on her hands.

Who were these two contestants exactly? Fortunately, we got you covered — keep scrolling to see for yourself…

Hometown Date #1: Marcus Shoberg

According to Reality Steve himself — in a post shared to his X (formerly known as Twitter) account on April 26 — Jenn had a hometown date with Marcus Shoberg, a 31-year-old from Raleigh, North Carolina. Given the fact that their date took place in Tacoma, Washington instead of out East, he also gave some context as to why they were spotted flirting up a storm at Titlow Beach.

“Marcus lived in the Seattle area after the army. A lot of his army friends currently still live there. He does not have a great relationship with his parents who don’t live in Washington, so my guess is that’s why his hometown is being filmed there.”

Hometown Date #2: Devin Strader

After her date with Marcus, Jenn embarked on a hometown date with Devin Strader, a 27-year-old from Houston, Texas. While it is unclear where their date occurred — with Reality Steve sharing no photos from the actual event — we will just have to take his word for it that this handsome fella actually makes it to the final four…

While it is unclear what either of these men are actually like until season 21 hits our television screens, it is safe to say that Jenn likes brunette boys nonetheless. To see if either one of them steals the New Jersey native‘s heart in the end — and to see who earns the other two hometown dates — catch brand new episodes of The Bachelorette when it starts airing on ABC later this summer.

After getting her heart broken by Joey Grazadei on The Bachelor, we cannot help but hope Jenn finds her happily ever after!

Since its premiere in 2014, the Chicago Fire spinoff Chicago PD has seen many characters leave. The saddest exit was definitely Jay Halstead, the heartthrob known for his no-nonsense personality and serious romances with Hailey Upton and Erin Lindsay.

Thanks to contracts ending, character deaths, or actors wanting to take advantage of other opportunities, it’s of course common for a character to leave a popular TV show. Just like fans wonder where Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) went, Jay’s exit is still a major topic of discussion. Here’s what happened to this beloved character.

Where did Jay go on Chicago PD and why did Jesse Lee Soffer leave?

After appearing on Chicago PD from seasons 1 through 10, Jay Halstead made his final appearance in the third episode of season 10, “A Good Man.” After going to Bolivia to stop a cartel with the United States Army, he realized this was what he wanted to do, and he became a member of the Army.

Chicago PD does a great job of showing the complex layers of working for the Intelligence Unit of a police force. While Jay has years of experience, he felt it was emotionally overwhelming to continue the career he had worked so hard for. Jay showed growth when he made the decision, because instead of living the same old life, he wanted to do something different that made more sense to him. As he told Hailey, “I took the job. I’ll be posted in Bolivia. It’s black and white. It’s good and bad. It’s right and wrong. It’s no more of this. I need that. I need that back.”

Jay’s exit was particularly emotional, since it seemed like he and Hailey would end up together. But unfortunately for fans, Chicago PD confirmed their divorce in season 11. Jesse Lee Soffer chose to leave Chicago PD and told Variety that he hoped “to grow and expand” as an actor. But he still thinks fondly of the procedural and seems to be having fun behind the camera. He returned to direct the season 10 episode “Deadlocked” and will also direct episode 12 of season 11.

911 has a strong cast of beloved and quirky characters, and fans have long wondered why Howard Han (Kenneth Choi) goes by “Chimney.”

At the end of season 7 episode 6, “There Goes The Groom,” Chimney disappeared before his wedding to Maddie Buckley (Jennifer Love Hewitt). In the final scene, he inquired, “Why do they call me Chimney?” which made us curious about it all over again…

Chimney’s 911 nickname, explained

As of season 7 of 911, fans have never learned the reason why Kenneth Choi’s character is called Chimney. Although his co-workers have mentioned his nickname from time to time, no one has come right out and given a real explanation.

In a 2023 interview with TV Guide, Choi said he came up with a “theory” and began portraying Chimney based on this line of thinking. While he kept his theory a secret, he explained that he has given fans clues based on “physical manifestations.” Although Choi feels that he has been very clear, he said that viewers are still stuck as to why Chimney has the name he does. Choi said, “They’ve had characters play it in a way where it’s this huge kind of ‘Oh my God,’ existential revelation” but he feels it’s “simple.”

While of course it’s frustrating that we still don’t know how this nickname came to be, it’s a humorous quirk of the show. It also proves how close the main characters are to Chimney. It would definitely be awkward if Bobby (Peter Krause) or Hen Wilson (Aisha Hinds) randomly explained where Chimney got his name since that would be some pretty rough exposition.

If Chimney was a less compelling character, there wouldn’t be such interest in his name. But like Buck (Oliver Stark) and Tommy Kincaid (Lou Ferigno Jr.), Chimney is a well-drawn and endearing character who tries to do the right thing for his family and co-workers. Maybe we’ll find out the truth about his name by the series finale…

Since NCIS is only just wrapping up its 21st season, it would be impossible for every popular character to appear in every single episode. While it was a total shock that Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) exited in season 19, some minor characters also packed a punch. Delilah Fielding-McGee (Margo Harshman) is one of them.

While there are several NCIS spin-offs, the original series is still the most unforgettable thanks to the relationships between the characters, which makes the case-of-the-week format more compelling. Delilah and Special Agent Timothee McGee’s (Sean Murray) charming romance evolved from their season 11 meeting to their memorable season 14 wedding. Since the Department of Defense employee was a big part of NCIS for several seasons, it was a little odd to rarely see her all of a sudden. What happened to this beloved character?

What happened to Margo Harshman’s NCIS character Delilah?

Delilah was seriously hurt in the season 11, episode 12 called “Kill Chain,” wherein a terrorist organization named Parsa launched a bomb while she was honored at a gala. Delilah got shrapnel in her spine and ended up in a wheelchair, which was a heartbreaking and scary moment for her and McGee. Sadly for NCIS fans who enjoyed watching Delilah and McGee’s relationship progress, especially as they became parents to their adorable twins, Delilah became a less regular character after season 14. Given her tough yet likable personality, it’s disappointing that she didn’t get any weighty storylines after her injury. Although McGee stayed front and center, his family life took a backseat, and Delilah should have been given more to do.

There doesn’t appear to be a specific reason why Delilah stopped appearing in most NCIS episodes. The actor hasn’t talked about any scheduling conflicts and it’s possible this was a creative choice, which makes sense given how many characters the writers have to juggle. When TV Line reported on Margo Harshman’s casting back in 2013, the publication called it a “potentially recurring role,” which suggests that there might not have been a plan for exactly how much screen time she would get.

Thankfully for loyal viewers, Delilah came back for some important episodes, including season 18’s “Sunburn,” when she and McGee go to the Bahamas for a break from busy family life. In an interview with TV Insider, Sean Murray spoke to Delilah’s significant presence on NCIS and said, “Margo is, I think, the most recurring character we’ve had with the exception of Joe Spano.”

Delilah was also an important part of season 21’s ninth episode, “Prime Cut,” which proves that the writers don’t seem to be finished with her yet. McGee and his wife wanted to renovate their kitchen and even tried out for a reality series, and thanks to their lovey-dovey vibes, they were rejected, which is hilarious and yet another reminder of Delilah’s memorable presence on the procedural. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we see her again.

Fans are squealing in unison for Bridgerton season 3 to finally see Lady Whistledown herself, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), find love. But that isn’t all that the upcoming season has in store. 

The third season of Netflix’s steamy series took many by surprise when the plot was revealed. After season 2’s enemies-to-lovers trope united Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley), fans of the books had expected that the subsequent season would follow suit. But instead of focusing on Benedict Bridgerton’s (Luke Thompson) love life, the series skipped over to the third son, Colin (Luke Newton). Though deviating from the source material, this shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. Penelope’s affection for Colin was duly noted in the previous seasons, and it would be a disservice to wait any longer to give this couple traction. But hope is not lost for Benedict, who will still play a part in the season. His story is adjacent to the incoming character, Lady Tilley Arnold.

Who is Tilley Arnold in Bridgerton season 3?

News first broke about the new character’s casting in 2022 when Deadline announced Hannah New would join the cast as the character. She appears briefly in the Brazilian teaser for the new season.

New is most notable for her role as the cutthroat authority of Nassau, Eleanor Guthrie, in the historical series, Black Sails. The pirate show took from real-life events as well as the characters from the classic book Treasure Island. Now it appears the New is ready to don a corset again in another heightened historical show. Deadline describes the new character as a “firebrand widow” who will take the ton by storm in the following statement:

“Widowed at an early age, she enjoys the privileges and power that come with being at the helm of her former husband’s estate, living life on her own terms with financial independence and sexual freedom.”

Bridgerton always gravitates toward stories that modernize characters at a time famous for being restrictive. Though a romance at its core, Shonda Rhimes’ celebrated series makes an effort to give autonomy to its characters — especially the ones that historically may not have as much freedom. A character like Tilley Arnold fits well into this landscape. As a widow, she does not need to concern herself with finding a husband for security. Instead, she has the rare privilege of being able to operate within her own means. This fact may open the eyes of many of the female characters.

Penelope has similarly found independence in her own right. She is a rare woman in this society who has a career, even if no one knows she is the mysterious gossip columnist. Tilley Arnold’s presence could further establish that Bridgerton isn’t just about romance, but also elevating its characters. At this point, we can only speculate what the character’s role will be. 

She is original to the series and does not stem from the books. It is unlikely she will serve as a romantic interest for Benedict — at least not a long-lasting one. Book readers know that his romantic fate lies with Sophie Beckett, whom he marries and fathers four children with. As far as Tilley Arnold is concerned, fans will have to wait until Bridgerton season 3, part I airs on Netflix, starting May 16.

After a unique season 1 with particularly strong storytelling, Cruel Summer was renewed as an anthology series and season 2 aired in the summer of 2023. Each season features toxic friendships, three different timelines, and ’90s/2000s nostalgia, and thanks to the epic twist featuring Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia) and Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt) in the season 1 finale, it was clear that the season 2 ending would also deliver a big reveal. So, who really killed Luke in Cruel Summer, and did the ending live up to its promise?

What happened at the end of Cruel Summer season 2?

Season 2, episode 10 of Cruel Summer, “Endgame,” revealed what the previous episodes had hinted all along: Isabella LaRue (Lexi Underwood) killed Luke Chambers. While the sheriff and everyone in the small town of Chatham were convinced that Isabella and her BFF Megan Landry (Sadie Stanley) killed Luke, we were definitely shocked that one of them actually turned out to be the killer. Creepy computer hacker Ned and Luke’s verbally abusive father Steve (Paul Adelstein in a much less likable role than Cooper on Private Practice) seemed like much more likely suspects.

The Cruel Summer season 2 finale made us think that Luke’s mean-spirited older brother Brent killed him. After Megan and Isabella tied Luke to a bed in the cabin to teach him a lesson about being unfaithful, Isabella accidentally shot Luke, who ran away to the dock to think about the awful person he’d become. Luke paged Brent (Braeden De La Garza), who pushed Luke into the water after an intense fight.

In the final moments of “Endgame,” we learn that Isabella found Luke lying on the shore after he didn’t drown. She then did the unthinkable and pushed his head down into the water, cutting off his air supply and killing him. Megan is the one who makes this brutal discovery via a camera that saw the whole thing unfold, which proved how betrayed she felt by her alleged best friend. After she is falsely accused, Megan gets a coding job and Isabella flies to Ibiza, making a new pal whose life she is likely going to ruin next.

Did the Cruel Summer season 2 finale live up to expectations?

After nine nail-biting episodes, the reveal that Isabella killed Luke was surprising and heartbreaking, not to mention complex. Cruel Summer season 2 did a fine job of exploring the smothering feeling of small-town life. Filmed in British Columbia, season 2 showed Chatham as a gorgeous and peaceful-looking place that teens can’t wait to leave. While we empathized with Luke’s plight, it was hard not to hate him for cheating on Megan and being a toxic partner. While showrunner Elle Friedman told AwardsRadar that “We had a lot of different potential killers on the board,” it ultimately made the most sense for Isabella to have ended Luke’s life.

But did Cruel Summer‘s shocking season 2 finale live up to the expectations fans had after a truly impressive season 1? While it wasn’t quite as unique, the reveal that Isabella killed Luke was still a surprising twist. It was tough to top the last season 1 scene, which revealed that Jeanette wasn’t who we thought she was. Still, the ending works well and hints that Isabella was likely responsible for her friend Lisa’s mysterious death prior to her arrival in Chatham. It wasn’t enough to get the show renewed for a third season, but as both seasons of Cruel Summer prove, friendship can be dark, deadly, and devastating, which is why you should always choose your friends wisely.

We’re jumping back into the lake for season 3 of the Hallmark channel’s The Way Home after a revelatory few episodes at the end stretch of season 2.

The network announced that the time-traveling drama would be returning for a third installment before the second had even wrapped up in March 2023. Season two ended with the reveal that Colton, Kat’s dad who died back in season 1, is back, can time travel, and will most likely be returning for season 3, too. Plus a few other discoveries related to Kat’s past (or future?) and Elliot’s time-traveling abilities. A continuation is definitely needed and we’re already itching to see more.

When is The Way Home season 3 coming out?

There is no official release date for season 3 of The Way Home, but don’t expect any new episodes this year. The new batch is expected to follow the release pattern of the previous two and air early in the new year. We predict a release window of January or February 2025.

Fans should start getting excited for the upcoming season if Hallmark Media VP of Development Kelly Garrett’s words are to be believed. “While some questions will be answered by the end of this season, the Landrys’ journey is far from over and there’s much more to tell,” she teases in a statement,

Who stars in season 3 of The Way Home?

While there are no casting confirmations for The Way Home‘s third season, the conclusion of season 2 does indicate that all the main cast should come back for more time-hopping shenanigans next year. That includes the leading ladies, Chyler Leigh (Kat), Sadie Laflamme-Snow (Alice), and Andie MacDowell (Delilah), as well as Evan Williams as Elliot.

Jefferson Brown who plays Kat’s dad and Delilah’s husband Colton could be making a return in season 3 after the season 2 finale revealed there’s so much we still don’t know about his story. Remy Smith should also return as Colton and Delilah’s son, and Kat’s brother, Jacob, who had been stuck in the 18th century since he was a child and was finally brought back by his sister by the end of last season.

Vaughan Murrae’s mysterious character Casey Goodwin who was sporting Kat and Brady’s engagement ring around her neck in the finale should come back so viewers can finally figure out what her connection to the couple and, by extension, their daughter Alice, really is.

What is the plot of The Way Home season 3?

Although there are no teasers, trailers, or spoilers yet for season 3 of The Way Home, there’s plenty of clues in the season 2 finale that allow us to speculate about what we can expect from the new storylines ahead.

For one, we will definitely need Hallmark to answer our questions regarding Colton, Casey and their respective origins, because everything points to them not being from the present. We’re all still trying to understand just how the lake works, too. Now that Elliot can travel into the past, this means the ability to use the magic time portal isn’t reserved for the Landrys as we’d been made to believe up until now.

There’s also the issue of Kat’s love life as Jacob revealed her 18th century flame, Thomas, who she thought had been shot dead, had made it out alive after all. With Elliot still pining after her, too, who will she pick?

Netflix is prepped to launch the career of comedian Shane Gillis even further with the release of the 36-year-old’s own dedicated series, Tires.

He’s no unknown, by any means, but Gillis is prepped to reach a far wider audience with the release of his fresh Netflix comedy. Shows following rising comedians are extremely common, but broad success is less guaranteed. Funnymen from Jerry Seinfeld to John Mulaney have earned series of their own, but few have managed to reach the heights of the genre’s most successful.

Gillis is now getting his shot at competing with the likes of Seinfeld with Tires, a series that follows Gillis, alongside fellow comedian Steven Gerben, in a story that shares a mild resemblance with Hulu’s award-winning The Bear. Gerben plays Will, the sweet but anxious heir to a struggling auto repair chain, as he works to keep the business afloat even past the interference of his combative cousin and employee, Shane (played by Gillis).

Based on Gillis’ popularity as a comedian, which is still fresh but mounting every day, the show has a great shot at landing with audiences. His first Netflix stand up special, Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs debuted back in 2023 to excellent reviews, and with Gillis so intertwined with Tires — a series based on his own YouTube pilot — its all but guaranteed to appeal to the comedian’s rapidly-growing fanbase.

When can I watch Tires on Netflix?

The wait for Gillis’ latest project is almost over. Following the show’s announcement back in early 2024, hype for the release has been gradually building. It’s now close to boiling over, as fans prep themselves for Tires‘ May 23 release.

Gillis has hit several snags over the course of his career as a comedian, largely due to controversial statements made in his longstanding podcast, Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast. Some of those statements even led to Gillis’ firing from a spot on SNL just days after he was added as a cast member. Gillis maintains that clips blasted as racist or bigoted were taken out of context, and asserts that, as a comedian, pushing boundaries comes with the territory, but he’s yet to properly reclaim the budding fame he was eyeing back in 2019.

Tires could change that. The incoming release may just be Gillis’ final shot at reaching comedy’s elusive heights, and at proving to viewers that he’s not a problematic comedian. The comedy series will release all six episodes at once, allowing audiences to make up their minds on Gillis once and for all.

It is now official: The recently-announced cast list for Wednesday season 2 does not include Percy Hynes White. And, it may be the case that no one will fill in the role, thus writing off the character of Xavier Thrope from the series despite the character’s part in the narrative suggesting Xavier had more story to explore.

If the allegations against White are true – and there are plenty –  his removal from the cast cannot be helped. Take it from me, I was personally quite taken by Xavier’s psychic, reserved, and tortured artist character archetype, more so than with the clearly too-nice-not-to-raise-red-flags Tyler, but that’s no excuse to instinctively discredit any potential veracity of White’s alleged condemnable past deeds without daring to dig deeper.

These sorts of allegations are not to be taken lightly, and while the original posts from the alleged victims and witnesses are now gone, it may well have been due to legal reasons or threats from overzealous fans who cannot seem to help but take the side of the celebrity they like, even without knowing them personally to be able to legitimately vouch for their character.

So, what were these accusations that led to Netflix dropping the 22-year-old Canadian actor from the popular series?

Alleged systematic predatory behavior

A girl going by “Aries” as her Twitter username was the one to blow the whistle on the alleged inexcusable behavior Percy Hynes White enacted during high school. Message screenshots paint an elaborate, detailed, and damning description of the kind of predatory, misogynistic behavior of which the actor is accused. Not only that, but Aries also attached message chats featuring inappropriate photos of someone who clearly looks like White. Some of these were allegedly sent to minors.

The allegations claim that, while he was a teenager in Toronto, White mistreated girls, both girlfriends and the girls who rejected him, being said to resort to insults and body shaming. He and his group of friends are accused of hosting parties and getting girls so inebriated they were unable to consent to sexual advances, having been ultimately assaulted. One girl alleged the to-be actor watched her assault from the sidelines. When this situation happened, White called the girl in question and was allegedly more concerned with not having law enforcement involved. If this situation could not get any worse, White is also said to have taken non-consensual sexual pictures of girls, and even shared them online.

Instagram screenshots seem to suggest White seemingly corroborating at least part of the allegations by conceding that what he had done was “a complete scumbag thing to do,” claiming that now that he is an adult, he knows better. Some people pointed to a video of White touching Jenna Ortega’s chest during a red carpet appearance to argue that his behavior had not really changed by the time he became a star on the Netflix series.

On top of all of these damning accusations, old tweets are said to have surfaced – these are now gone – of White using slurs and other inappropriate words.

As a result of this firestorm of allegations and people coming forward, and after a period of silence, White came forward to say the rumors were untrue. Variety quoted him as writing:

“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 rumors 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. It’s very distressing to know that this misinformation has upset people. I’m really thankful for everyone who’s stood by me and helped share the facts. Harassment of my family, friends and coworkers needs to stop please. Thank you for taking the time to read this.”

In this kind of he-said/she-said conundrum, there is often no easy way to get tangible evidence that will satisfy some. But for those who think so in regards to the former Wednesday actor, this is not even a she-said/he-said, in this case, many people pointed the finger and Percy Hynes White replied saying it was nothing but a “campaign of misinformation.”

Netflix’s series Wednesday is full of twists and red herrings during its first season, but the show’s mysteries weren’t just relegated to on-screen drama.

Inspired by the Charles Addams comic of America’s First Goth family, Wednesday follows the titular character, played by Jenna Ortega, as she attends a spooky private school called Nevermore. In a school full of outcasts, Wednesday Addams tries to remain a maverick, which is easier said than done — especially regarding her love life.

While the series has many enjoyable aspects, throwing Wednesday in the middle of a love triangle was one of the more confounding. By the looks of it, however, said love triangle will not be continuing in the show’s sophomore season, as Percy Hynes White ⏤ the actor who played Wednesday’s schoolmate Xavier ⏤ has been officially dropped from the cast following a disturbing controversy.

What were the claims against Percy Hynes White?

In 2023, Variety reported that an anonymous Twitter user had claimed White assaulted them at a house party. They alleged that White and his friends would ply minors with alcohol to assault them. The outlet did not reveal the alleged victim’s identity, but posted their claims at length.

“He would pursue, have sex with, abuse and get my friend high who was 13/14 at the time. Last time I knew they had sex she was 16 and he was 20. He assaulted me at one of those parties awhile I was too drunk, and he had cornered and pressured and assaulted multiple of my friends.”

The tweet has since been deleted, but consequences soon followed. Others supported these claims and contributed additional corroborative stories. At the time, no further action was taken, but White maintained his innocence.

White’s response to the allegations

White later took to Instagram and denied the poster’s claims. He explained that he had never met this person and that his friends and family had been targeted due to these allegations. The Gifted actor further described how he was affected following the events.

“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 rumors 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. It’s very distressing to know that this misinformation has upset people. I’m really thankful for everyone who’s stood by me and helped share the facts. Harassment of my family, friends and coworkers needs to stop please. Thank you for taking the time to read this.”

At the time this news broke, Wednesday season 2 had yet to go into production. However, there were rumblings that White would not reprise his role as Xavier in the upcoming season as a result of the claims made against him. At the time, there had been no confirmation of official action taken, but fan outcry made the ultimate result somewhat inevitable. With such public allegations of such a brutal nature, White quickly lost stock as a romantic interest for Wednesday’s character.

As of May 2024, Variety confirmed that White won’t be returning for season 2 when it released a full cast announcement. 12 additional cast members have joined season 2, with White conspicuously being left off the list. Other cast members to be added to the official list are Steve Buscemi, Thandiwe Newton, Christopher Lloyd, and Haley Joel Osment.

There is no current news about what season 2 has in store for the multitude of Wednesday fans out there, but it’s fair to surmise that the storyline of the upcoming show will boast an ambitious overhaul. Viewers will be able to see these events when Wednesday airs season 2 on Netflix.