In a video posted on social media today, Orlando Jones announced he was fired in September from the show American Gods, and that there will be “no more Mr. Nancy,” the character he played. The video included a flashing animated GIF stating “Breaking News” and a caption stating “Caution: Hot Tea.”
Jones referred to the producers of American Gods as “these motherfuckers” and, saying he wouldn’t name names, called out the new season three showrunner, easily Google-able as television vet Charles H. Eglee. According to Jones the “Connecticut-born, Yale-educated and very smart” man felt that Mr. Nancy’s “angry, get-shit-done” attitude is the “wrong message for Black America.”
Jones offered thanks to American Gods author Neil Gaiman for opening the door for him to become a writer-producer on season two, as well as series co-creators Bryan Fuller and Michael Green. GIF Hearts floated over his face as he gave the shout-outs. He also thanked his fans.
A launch date for American Gods season three has yet to be announced, but Neil Gaiman has already sketched out ideas for a season four of the STARZ series.
Charles H. Eglee’s career goes back to the early 1980s. He co-wrote the screenplay to James Cameron’s directorial debut Piranha II: The Spawning, and wrote episodes of St. Elsewhere, Moonlighting, L.A. Law and NYPD Blue. He co-created Dark Angel with Cameron and co-created Murder One with Stephen Bochco and Channing Gibson, and was an executive producer on The Shield, Dexter and season one of The Walking Dead. He won an Emmy Award in 1995 for NYPD Blue.
Mr. Nancy is one of the central characters of Gaiman’s American Gods lore, based upon the West African Anansi myth, also known as the Spider God, one of the archetypical “trickster” characters from folklore. Gaiman’s 2005 best-seller Anansi Boys was an American Gods spin-off focused on this popular character.
V.F. has reached out to Eglee, STARZ and Fremantle Media and will update this story should we hear back.