Amy Jo Johnson Skipping 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' Reunion Special

By Daniel S. Levine

Many of the original Power Rangers stars will reunite for Netflix's upcoming special Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always to celebrate the franchise's 30th anniversary. A few of them will not be there though, including Amy Jo Johnson. The actress-turned-director revealed on Twitter that she declined the deal she was offered.

"For the record, I never said no...I just didn't say yes to what was offered," Johnson tweeted on Jan. 18. "But other fun stuff is in-store! Looking forward to watching my friends kick ass!" She added a kissing emoji.

Johnson, 52, was the first Pink Ranger, starring as Kimberly Hart in the first three seasons of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and the 1995 movie. She regularly attends Power Rangers fan conventions and made a cameo appearance in the 2017 Power Rangers reboot movie, so she still has a relationship with the franchise and its fans. More recently, she has turned to directing, helming an episode of The CW's Superman & Lois last year.

Netflix and the Hasbro/eOne team shared photos from the Once & Always special with Entertainment Weekly earlier this week. Walter Emanual Jones, Catherine Sutherland, David Yost, Steve Cardenas, Karan Ashley, and Johnny Yong Bosch will reprise their original series roles. Sutherland, who replaced Johnson in Season 3, will represent the Pink Ranger in the special.

Charlie Kersh joined the franchise for the show as the daughter of the original Yellow Ranger, Trini. Thuy Trang, who played Trini, died in 2001 at age 27, following a car accident. It is unclear if there is a similar tribute to Jason David Frank, who played the original Green Ranger, Tommy. Frank died by suicide at 49 in 2022.

Austin St. John, who played the original Red Ranger, was arrested in 2022 for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was one of 18 individuals arrested for allegedly being involved in a plot to create businesses or use existing businesses to fraudulently obtain funds from a federal program meant to help businesses in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Once & Always is a scripted special that sees the Power Rangers unite to face a "familiar threat" from their past. "In the midst of a global crisis, they are called on once again to be the heroes the world needs," reads the official logline. "Inspired by the legendary mantra from the franchise 'Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger,' Once & Always reminds everyone when you become a Ranger, you are always a part of the Ranger family and always welcome." 

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