Former 9-1-1 star Rockmond Dunbar is suing 20th Century Fox and Disney, alleging that he was discriminated against "his race and religion" after the studio failed to approve his religious and medical exemption from the show’s COVID vaccine mandate.
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The actor left the show in late 2021 amid claims he was "denied" the exemption for the COVID vaccine. According to the lawsuit, seen by TMZ, the actor claims he was the only Black male lead actor on the TV show and his dismissal has "severely damaged his career".
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The documents alleges that "producers assured him they wanted him to remain on the show and his schedule would be adjusted to accommodate him being unvaccinated" but instead he "was barred from the set and assured his character's storyline would show him leaving temporarily, keeping open the possibility for him to return down the road".
The lawsuit accused the studio of "firing him in retaliation" and "refusing to pay him the hundreds of thousands of dollars he says he's still owed". He is seeking more than $1 million in residual and contractual payments.
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He also says the studio "deliberately made it sound like he was an anti-vaxxer" which has, according to Rockmond, ruined his career.
A statement from 20th Television to HELLO! reads: "To ensure safe working environments at our productions we have implemented a mandatory vaccination confirmation process. While we will not comment on any one individual, each request for exemption is given a thorough review and we grant accommodations consistent with our legal obligations. There are no differences in our process or decision-making based on an employee’s race."
Michael, played by Rockmond, left the show in 2021
In a statement shared at the time of his departure, Rockmond said: "My sincerely held beliefs and private medical history are very intimate and personal aspects of my life that I do not publicly discuss and have no desire to start now. I’ve been an actor in this business for 30 years, but my greatest roles are as a husband and father to our 4 small children. As a man that walks in faith, I look forward to what the future holds."
His character Michael Grant's departure came after he popped the question to his partner David (La Monde Byrd) after learning that he will be traveling to Haiti for several months to help with hurricane relief efforts.
Michael then told his family that he had decided to join David in Haiti indefinitely. "I can't save lives, but I can help rebuild one," he told his ex-wife Athena (Angela Bassett) and their children.
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