WARNING: Discussion of sexual assault allegations.
Jenna Ortega had a brief comment on Percy Hynes White’s departure. wednesday.
Percy played Xavier Thorpe in the first season of the popular Netflix show, forming a love triangle with the title character Jenna. In January 2023, user X claimed that Percy assaulted her at a party, assaulted another woman, and threw a party with the intention of giving alcohol to underage women. Similar stories then came from other users.
Six months later, Percy denied the “misinformation campaign”. “The rumours are false,” he said. “I cannot accept that I am being portrayed as a bigot or someone who is criminally negligent about people’s safety. These kinds of unfounded and damaging allegations can create mistrust in the victim.”
In May of this year, Percy confirmed his exit from the series, writing on Instagram, “I’ve had so much fun working on this show. Can’t wait to watch season 2 🙂 Sending you lots of love.”
“It’s a weird turn of events, but I think it’s going to fade away to some extent because we’re introducing so many different characters,” Jenna told Vanity Fair of his departure.
She also said, “The world feels a little bit crooked on the show anyway.”
You can read the full interview here.
