‘Kevin Can Wait’: Twitter Rips Apart Decision to Kill Donna

Kevin Can Wait fans are weighing in on CBS’s decision to kill off Erinn Hayes’ character, Donna, going into the second season of the show. Judging by the Twitter responses, many social media users are infuriated with the move.

The network announced earlier this summer that Hayes, 41, was not going to be returning. However, at the Television Critics Association’s press tour on Tuesday, CBS Senior Executive VP of programming Thom Sherman dropped the bombshell news that Hayes’ character was going to be killed off in between the first and second seasons.

When asked how Hayes’ departure was going to be handled on the show, Sherman said, “The character will have passed away, and we will be moving forward in time, catching up at a later date.”

As you might imagine, fans of the sitcom weren’t thrilled about this news. In the past couple days, social media users have flooded Twitter with reactions Donna being killed off.

Check out some of the most heated responses below.

Fans’ Reactions to Donna Being Killed Off

Because Kevin Can Wait is supposed to have a light-hearted feel to it, the storyline of the next season will take place after a time jump.

When the show returns this fall, Donna will have already died. The idea is to have put a long enough time between seasons so that the TV family would have had time to go through the grieving process.

No matter how long CBS makes the time jump, it’s clear to see that many fans aren’t ready to move on from Hayes’ character.

Erinn Hayes Out, Leah Remini In

For the second season, the showrunners have tapped Leah Remini to take on a series regular role. The move will reunite James and Remini after the two starred together on King of Queens for nine seasons.

Sherman was asked about the notion that show is pulling off a wife swap in order to be another King of Queens. He denied such theories.

“No, I don’t think so. I think the show speaks for itself and stands for itself. Obviously the chemistry [between James and Remini] was amazing in the stunt episodes,” he said.

Erinn Hayes Speaks Out

Hayes confirmed that she was no longer going to be a part of Kevin Can Wait back in June. She took to Twitter to address the rumor at the time.

“True, I’ve been let go from the show,” she wrote. “Very sad, I had a great experience season 1. Thank you for all the support from our wonderful fans.”

In a subsequent tweet, Hayes said that the decision was “not her choice.”

It’s fair to say that not only are the Kevin Can Wait fans disappointed that Hayes won’t be in the second season, but also many do not approve of the way that CBS is writing off her character.