Despite being one of the most watched shows on Disney, The Acolyte has been at the center of several controversies. The latest one involves speciulation that actress Amandla Stenberg, who portrays twins Mae and Osha in the series, has been fired. Given that the plot revolves around her characters, fans want to know whether this is true, and if it is, the reasons behind it.
Here’s everything to know about the controversy and speculation surrounding Stenberg.
Was Amandla Stenberg fired from The Acolyte?
No, Amandla Stenberg was not fired from The Acolyte.
These rumors likely stem from a breach of contract lawsuit that The Acolyte producer Karyn McCarthy has filed against Lucasfilm. In the lawsuit, McCarthy claims that she was offered a producer role on both The Acolyte and the Apple TV Plus series Sugar. She ultimately chose the former. McCarthy was reportedly involved in The Acolyte’s development for a couple of weeks before she was let go in April 2022. According to Deadline, she filed the lawsuit on March 7, 2023 at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
“Two weeks later, without explanation, without reason, without justification, Lucasfilm told McCarthy it wanted out of the deal,” the lawsuit states. “By this time, the Apple offer was gone – Apple had to move on and found another executive producer for Sugar. McCarthy now had neither deal.”
Sugar went on to become a major TV production for Apple. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Colin Farrell officially joined the project as the eponymous John Sugar in June 2022. It premiered on April 5, 2024, and currently has an 82% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes for its inaugural season. McCarthy is widely known for her work as a producer on HBO’s Ballers and Netflix’s House of Cards.
To sum it up, Stenberg will continue to be part of The Acolyte. Additionally, there are some rumors online that Stenberg has been fired from at least two future Star Wars projects. But there is no evidence to support those either.
