Actor Rockmond Dunbar has exited the hit series “9-1-1” starring Angela Bassett over COVID-19 vaccination protocols. Dunbar, who previously starred in the Showtime series “Soul Food,” played Basset’s husband Michael Grant in the series for the past four seasons.
He was initially married to Bassett’s character Athena, before divorcing after revealing he was gay. The two continued to co-parent their children in the storyline. In Monday night’s (Nov. 15) episode, Dunbar’s character left for Haiti with his neurosurgeon boyfriend, but his storyline was left open for a possible future return.
Dunbar reportedly left the show because Disney TV Studio’s 20th Television required all actors to be vaccinated and his requests for a medical and religious exemption were both denied. Dunbar is not believed to be anti-vaxxer but declined to comply with the Covid vaccine. He released a statement to Deadline on his decision.
“I applied for religious and medical accommodations pursuant to the law and unfortunately was denied by my employer. 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. I have enjoyed the last 5 seasons with this wonderful cast and crew and will cherish the time I’ve been blessed to spend with this series and wish everyone involved nothing but the best,” he wrote.
20th Television also addressed Dunbar’s dismissal and said they were just trying to provide a safe work environment.
“We take the health and safety of all of our employees very seriously, and have implemented a mandatory vaccination confirmation process for those working in Zone A on our productions. In order to ensure a safer workplace for all, Zone A personnel who do not confirm their vaccination status and do not meet the criteria for exemption will not be eligible to work,” a spokesperson for the studio told the Hollywood trade.
Bassett become one of the highest-paid actresses of color in the history of prime time television this year when she renegotiated her contract for “9-1-1” and now makes $450,000 per episode for the weekly drama police series. Dunbar received a salary bump as well but his family seems to be his main priority over money.
.
