Rockmond Dunbar written off ‘9-1-1’ over COVID-19 vaccine mandate after pursuing medical, religious exemptions
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It looks like another great actor has lost another great job over the COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Spoiler alert!
Rockmond Dunbar is no longer starring on the hit Fox series “9-1-1″ because he refused to be vaccinated.
After more than four seasons, his character, Michael Grant, the 48-year-old actor was written off in Monday night’s episode.
“I applied for religious and medical accommodations pursuant to the law and unfortunately was denied by my employer,” Dunbar explained in a statement to Deadline. “My sincerely held beliefs and private medical history are very intimate and personal aspects of my life that I do not publicly discuss and have no desire to start now. I’ve been an actor in this business for 30 years, but my greatest roles are as a husband and father to our 4 small children. As a man that walks in faith, I look forward to what the future holds.”
20th Television, which produces “9-1-1,” have implemented a “mandatory vaccination confirmation process” that requires employees to be vaccinated or they “will not be eligible to work.”
But all may not be lost for Dunbar, who gained fame on Showtime’s “Soul Food” and later on popular series such as “Prison Break,” “The Game” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
In Monday night’s episode of the Ryan Murphy-produced drama, his character, Michael, announced that he would join his boyfriend’s plans to go to Haiti for a few months to help with hurricane relief efforts.
The “Dirty Laundry” star’s absence could be temporary since producers reportedly deliberately left Michael’s storyline open-ended in the event the vaccination issue is resolved.
Dunbar joins another veteran actor, “General Hospital’s longtime star Ingo Rademacher, whose final appearance — after 25 years — is Nov. 22. The West Germany-born anti-vaxxer was fired after declining to the soap opera’s vaccine mandate.
Last month, Ice Cube walked away from a new movie, ironically titled “Oh Hell No,” reportedly due to COVID-19 protocols.
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