'The 100' Season 3 News: Ricky Whittle Slams Showrunner Jason Rothenberg for 'Bullying' Him off the Show
The CW's popular post-apocalyptic drama "The 100" has once again come under fire for killing off a fan favorite character.
This time, however, the criticism has not come from fans, but from the actor whose character recently perished in the series.
The new controversy comes just weeks after the backlash over Lexa's (Alycia Debnam-Carey) death in "The 100," which fans and critics alike saw as a device pulled straight out of the "Bury Your Gays" trope.
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On Tuesday, April 5, it was former "The 100" star Ricky Whittle's turn to take issue with his exit from the series. Whittle played Lincoln in the dystopian action/drama until his character's death in the March 31 episode, titled "Stealing Fire." In an interview with AfterBuzz TV, Whittle, who recently landed a starring role in the upcoming Starz series "American Gods," claimed that "The 100" showrunner Jason Rothenberg had "bullied" him off the show.
"[Rothenberg] abused his position to make my job untenable," the actor said. "What he did was disgusting and he should be ashamed."
"He was professionally bullying me, cutting out all the storyline I was supposed to be doing, cutting lines, cutting everything out, trying to make my character and myself as insignificant as possible," Whittle explained.
The actor also spoke about the controversy surrounding the death of Lexa, who was the love interest of main protagonist Clarke (Eliza Taylor). According to Whittle, Lexa was "too incredible a character to be caught by a stray bullet."
Despite his comments about Rothenberg and his opinion on Lexa's heavily criticized death, Whittle says that viewers should continue tuning in to the series. "Literally, the show has everything, so stay with it," the actor said, explaining that the show still has its bisexual lead, as well as several powerful female and diverse characters.
Meanwhile, Rothenberg released a short response to Whittle's statements, saying (via The Hollywood Reporter): "Ricky Whittle is a talented actor; I appreciate his work on 'The 100' and wish him all the best moving forward on 'American Gods.'"
"The 100" airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.
