Jenna Ortega Talks ‘Wednesday’ Co-Star’s Sexual Assault Scandal

Last year, “Wednesday” star Percy Hynes White faced allegations of sexual misconduct and assault, which surfaced in a now-deleted Twitter thread. Due to the accusations, White, who played Xavier Thorpe in season one, will not be part of the second season of the hit Netflix show.

As “Wednesday” season two begins production, star Jenna Ortega has addressed the absence of former co-star Percy Hynes White from the show.

At the time of the allegations, the actor released a statement, firmly denying the claims, asserting that the accusations were based on “underage photos” and “examples of me acting in character.”

“There’s something I need to clarify. Earlier this year, somebody I’ve never met started a campaign of misinformation about me online,” he said, per Variety, in June 2023 following the allegations. “Because of this, my family has been doxed, and my friends have received death threats.”

“The rumors are false. I can’t accept the portrayal of me as someone bigoted, or criminally negligent of people’s safety,” he added. “These are the kind of baseless, harmful claims that can create mistrust toward victims. I’m really thankful for everyone who’s stood by me and helped share the facts. Harassment of my family, friends, and coworkers needs to stop, please. Thank you for taking the time to read this.”

After the accusations surfaced, #CancelPercy trended on social media.

“I can’t accept the portrayal of me as someone bigoted or criminally negligent of people’s safety. These are the kind of baseless, harmful claims that can create mistrust towards victims,” White said of the backlash and accusations. “It’s very distressing to know that this misinformation has upset people. I’m really thankful for everyone who’s stood by me and helped share the facts.”

He added, “Harassment of my family, friends, and coworkers needs to stop, please. Thank you for taking the time to read this.”

One year after the accusations surfaced, Ortega has finally addressed the situation at hand and how the Netflix show will move forward without White.

According to Variety Fair, Ortega said that losing White has been “a weird redirect, but we’re introducing so many different characters that I think it kind of will get lost.”

She added that “Wednesday”’s “world does feel slightly askew anyway.”

In that same interview, the actress addressed her dreams to produce “Wednesday,” which are becoming a reality as the show enters its second season of production. Taking on the role of producer, Ortega, who has been involved in filming since earlier this year in Dublin, now holds the reins to influence key aspects of the show.

This includes everything from the design of prosthetics to the selection of the show’s dramatic cello compositions.

Tim Burton, who directed the first season, praised the actress and is excited to see what Ortega does with the show. “She’s very direct. She’s very no-nonsense, and I find that very refreshing and beautiful and artistic,” Burton said of the 21-year-old. “She could direct it if she wanted to.”

“I saw, from day one, she’s very aware,” he continued. “She’s more aware, sometimes, than I am.”

“She’s a creepy, little freak,” Ortega said of her character. “But her impact is absolutely unparalleled. I’ve never seen a normal person bring a group together like this, and create a family like this, and create a legacy like this, and that’s just a testament that we need weirdos in the world, and they’re what make the world go around.”

“Be weird, watch the show like do what you want to do,” she added. “And another beautiful thing too, about cinema and film is it should be reflective of what the real world is, but it’s a break from reality. We want to go home and, you know, leave our jobs and watch something that makes our brain turn off for a little bit and gives us adrenaline and makes us happy and makes us sad, and for a show like this, it has such a wide variety of characters it really does bring so much emotion and that is the intention.”

“And again, just sit back, enjoy the show. Relate, don’t relate, that’s your business, not mine,” she concluded.