If you spent any time on TikTok or X (the artist formerly known as Twitter) in early 2023, you couldn’t escape it. One minute, everyone was obsessed with the deadpan brilliance of Jenna Ortega’s dance moves, and the next, the "Wednesday" actor controversy was the only thing anyone in the fandom wanted to talk about. It was messy. It was fast. And honestly, it changed the entire trajectory of Netflix’s biggest hit.
At the center of it all was Percy Hynes White. He played Xavier Thorpe, the broody, tortured artist who spent most of the first season painting creepy monsters and pining after Wednesday Addams. He was essentially the co-lead. By the time the credits rolled on season one, he was set up to be the primary love interest. Then, the internet happened.
The Allegations That Started It All
It started with a single thread. In January 2023, an anonymous user on X posted a series of accusations against the Canadian actor. The claims were heavy. The user alleged that White, during his high school years in Toronto, had hosted parties where he and his friends would intentionally get women drunk or high to take advantage of them.
The hashtags #CancelPercy and #CancelPercyHynesWhite didn’t just trend; they exploded.
Suddenly, more anonymous accounts surfaced. People shared stories that were hard to verify but even harder for the public to ignore. They accused him of everything from sending unsolicited explicit photos to using racial slurs. A video even resurfaced of White from years prior where he appeared to use a racial epithet while reading a script.
The backlash was instant. Fans started demanding that Netflix remove him from the show immediately.
How Percy Hynes White Responded
For months, there was total silence. No word from Netflix, no word from the showrunners, and nothing from White himself. That silence only fed the fire. It wasn't until June 2023—nearly six months after the thread went viral—that Percy Hynes White finally broke his silence on Instagram.
💡 You might also like: Why This Is How We Roll FGL Is Still The Song That Defines Modern Country
He called the whole thing a "campaign of misinformation."
In his statement, White claimed he had never even met the person who started the original thread. He described the situation as distressing, noting that his family had been doxxed and his friends had received death threats. He specifically pointed out that photos of him as a minor were being used out of context and that his friend "Jane" had been falsely portrayed as a victim. According to White, the rumors were "baseless" and "harmful."
The Netflix Decision: Gone but Not Forgotten
Despite his denial, the damage was done. When the official cast list for "Wednesday" Season 2 was finally released in May 2024, Percy Hynes White’s name was nowhere to be found.
Netflix didn't put out a big press release explaining why. They didn't need to. The industry term for this is "creative restructuring," but fans knew better. Even though Percy posted a classy goodbye on his Instagram Story—saying he had "so much fun" and couldn't wait to watch the new season—the reality felt much more like a firing.
But here is where it gets interesting: it wasn't just about the controversy.
Jenna Ortega and the Creative Pivot
While the scandal was brewing, Jenna Ortega was moving into a producer role for the second season. She was very vocal about wanting to take the show in a different direction. In several interviews, she mentioned that the "teen romance" aspect of season one felt wrong for the character of Wednesday Addams.
📖 Related: The Real Story Behind I Can Do Bad All by Myself: From Stage to Screen
She wanted more horror. Less pining.
"We're ditching any romantic love interest for Wednesday, which is really great," Ortega told Variety. This effectively made Xavier Thorpe's character—whose entire narrative arc was built around his feelings for Wednesday—redundant. Whether the controversy forced Netflix's hand or Ortega’s creative vision simply didn't have room for him anymore, the result was the same: Xavier was out.
How Season 2 Handles the Absence
So, how do you just delete a main character? If you’ve started watching the new episodes that dropped in August 2025, you know they didn't waste much time on it.
The show handles his exit in the very first episode. New principal Barry Dort (played by the legendary Steve Buscemi) mentions offhandedly that Xavier transferred to a school in Switzerland called Reichenbach Academy. It's basically the European Nevermore. Later, Wednesday receives a "goodbye gift" from him—a painting of a creepy crow on a headstone.
It’s a clean break. No recasting, no lingering mystery. Just a "he moved away" and the story moves on.
The Aftermath of the Wednesday Actor Controversy
What’s crazy is that despite being "canceled" from the show, White hasn't exactly disappeared from Hollywood. In a move that surprised everyone, he still starred alongside Jenna Ortega in the romantic drama Winter Spring Summer or Fall, which premiered at Tribeca in 2024.
👉 See also: Love Island UK Who Is Still Together: The Reality of Romance After the Villa
This led to massive confusion online. Why was he okay to work with her in a movie but not on the show? The likely answer is that the movie was filmed before the allegations blew up.
Why This Matters for Fans
The whole "Wednesday" actor controversy highlights a major shift in how streaming giants handle talent. In the 2026 media environment, "innocent until proven guilty" often takes a backseat to "brand safety." Netflix couldn't afford to have their flagship show bogged down by think pieces about the lead's behavior, regardless of the truth of the claims.
If you're following the show now, here are the key things to keep in mind:
- No Xavier Return: Showrunner Al Gough has officially confirmed we’ve seen the last of Xavier Thorpe.
- Horror Focus: Expect a much darker, gore-heavy season without the love triangle distractions.
- New Faces: The addition of Lady Gaga and Steve Buscemi is clearly intended to fill the star-power vacuum left by the casting shakeups.
Ultimately, the show has pivoted toward Wednesday’s friendship with Enid Sinclair as its emotional core. It’s a move that many fans actually prefer. While the drama behind the scenes was chaotic, it forced the writers to get back to what made the Addams Family great in the first place: the macabre, the weird, and the solitary nature of its lead.
If you’re looking to stay updated on the cast, keep an eye on the official Netflix social channels, as they’ve been dropping "behind-the-scenes" snippets that confirm the new horror-first direction is here to stay.
Next Steps: You can dive deeper into the new season by checking out the official Season 2 production gallery on the Netflix TUDUM site, or compare the original Season 1 scripts with the new "horror-centric" episodes to see exactly where the dialogue shifted away from the romance subplots.