Orlando Jones calls American Gods showrunner a ‘culture vulture’

Actor says that while he doesn't mind people being fans of the culture that 'doesn't make you Black'

Actor Orlando Jones is naming names and giving details following his apparent firing as the character Mr. Nancy from the Starz series American Gods.

Melanie Eversley

Dec 20, 2019

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Actor Orlando Jones is naming names and giving details following his apparent firing as the character Mr. Nancy from the Starz series American Gods.

Jones, 51, told SiriusXM host Clay Cane of The Cane and Clay Show that the series’ showrunner Charles Eglee is someone who pretends to care about Black America.

“Culture vulture white guy is running around with a Black Panther T-shirt on talking like you Black, acting like you Black, thinking you blacker than Black people,” Jones told Cane. “You’re playing that whole game, which is the only reason you would run your ass around and say something as crazy as, ‘Mr. Nancy’s bad for Black America,’ and clearly, there’s nobody around to correct you.”

Jones’ comments are the latest in a dust-up that the public became aware of last week when Jones released a video claiming that he will not be returning for season three of American Gods because of concerns about what sort of message his Mr. Nancy character is sending to Black America. The character is based on the African God Anansi, and Jones portrayed him as someone who gets things done– a dynamic, Jones has said, that some saw as problematic.

When it comes to Eglee, Jones had plenty of raw perspectives to share on the Clay Cane show and called the showrunner a “wigga.” Jones characterized his former colleague as a 60-plus-year-old White man who appears to want to be in sync with Black people.

“He wears Stay Woke hats and Black Panther T-shirts and sunglasses,” Jones said. “Dresses like old school Run DMC type of deal. Look at the pictures. He’s White, but it’s one of those White guys who talks like a Black guy.”

Jones added, “I don’t have any problems with somebody who’s a fan of the culture, but that doesn’t make you Black.”

Eglee has not spoken publicly about the controversy but parent company Fremantle told Deadline, “The storylines of American Gods have continually shifted and evolved to reflect the complex mythology of the source material. Mr. Jones’ option was not picked up because Mr. Nancy, among other characters, is not featured in the portion of the book we are focusing on within Season 3.”