Percy Hynes White Breaks His Silence After Controversial ‘Wednesday’ Exit

Former Wednesday star Percy Hynes White is speaking out after being dropped from the second season of Netflix’s hit Addams Family spinoff. After starring as Nevermore Academy telekinetic student Xavier Thorpe, one of Wednesday Addams’s (Jenna Ortega) love interests, throughout the show’s debut season, White was notably absent from Netflix’s Wednesday Season 2 cast announcement, the streamer removing him as a series regular amid allegations of sexual assault.

Hours after the cast list was revealed, White, 22, confirmed that he is not involved in the second season, which began production in Ireland. The actor took to his Instagram Story to re-share Wednesday co-creator Alfred Gough’s Season 2 cast photo, writing, “I had so much fun working on this show. I can’t wait to watch season 2. Much love.”

White had been one of the main characters in Wednesday Season 1, with his onscreen counterpart sparking the first inklings of romance with Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday. However, his future on the show was thrown into limbo in January 2023 when an X (formerly Twitter) user alleged that The Gifted actor had sexually assaulted her at a party he hosted in Toronto. In a series of since-deleted posts, the social media user said s White and his friends would throw parties and provide alcohol and drugs to minors in order to have sex with them, writing, “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.” White was also accused of sending images of himself to minors and using a racial slur.

Addressing the accusations in June 2023, the actor decried a “campaign of misinformation,” which he said resulted in his family being “doxed” and his friends receiving “death threats.” White said, “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.”

“The rumors are false,” he continued. “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 co-workers needs to stop please. Thank you for taking the time to read this.”

Amid the accusations, the hashtag #cancelpercy was used on social media calling for Netflix to drop White from Wednesday. However, the streamer remained mum on the topic. Netflix did not address its decision to exclude White from the Season 2 cast in the Tuesday announcement, which also revealed that Naomi J. Owaga, who portrayed Nevermore Academy student Yoko Tanaka, will also not return.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.