Emilio Estevez, who plays Gordon Bombay in the Mighty Ducks franchise, recently denied a report that he was dropped from Disney’s Mighty Ducks: Game Changers show over a refusal to comply with their vaccine mandate.
Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva reported back on November 5th, “I hear Disney Television Studios’ ABC Signature, which produces the hockey-themed sequel series, made the decision not to pick up Estevez’s option for Season 2 after weeks of back and forth with his team over the show’s Covid vaccination requirement.”
Andreeva added, “According to sources, Estevez, through his reps, has declined to provide assurances that he would comply with the policy.”
However, she also noted, “Meanwhile, sources close to Estevez indicate that creative differences may have played a role in his exit.”
Estevez has now responded with a lengthy statement to this Deadline report claiming, “My exit from the show was due to a myriad of creative differences – any other narrative is false.”
As part of that statement he also said, “This was nothing more than a good old fashioned contract dispute and not, as some would believe an anti-vaccine position.”
He also states, “I am not anti-vaxx. Full stop. I take this pandemic very seriously, and I am often teased about my continued following of the safety protocols and my abundance of caution.”
Not only does he claim that he only exited the role over creative differences, Estevez also detailed that he had Covid-19 back in March 2020.
He explained, “After multiple efforts, I finally received a car side Covid 19 PCR test on March 13, 2020. I continued to become increasingly sick, suffering from fever, sweats, brain fog and mood swings.”
“On March 17, 2020 I got word I had indeed contracted Covid 19. Thankfully I refrained from visiting my elderly parents and others until I received my results. I had discussions with doctors and contact tracing personnel from the L.A. County Department of Health,” he elaborated.
The Gordon Bombay actor continued, “I suffered the summer and fall of 2020 from what we now know as ‘Long Haul Syndrome.’”
Towards the end of his statement, Estevez states, “In retrospect, I wrongly chose to protect the show over being transparent about having contracted Covid-19. I may have provided another public example to wit, how we are all vulnerable to this deadly disease.”
He then went on to thank the cast and crew stating, “To my “Ducks” cast and crew – have a wonderful Season 2 on the show and please know that I will miss you all.”
He concluded, “It was an honor and a thrill to be able to return as the iconic and beloved character, Gordon Bombay, a character which has been a celebrated benchmark in my 40 year career. And I thank the studio and the producers for creating an opportunity to allow me to visit him again. Ducks Fly Together!”
What do you make of Estevez’s statement?