Last week, in a surprising turn for a beloved television series that had, until now, faced little controversy, it was announced that Tracy Ifeachor, who played Dr. Collins on the show, would not be returning for a second season. The decision was reportedly not her own, and rumors circulated on Twitter and Reddit suggesting that Ifeachor’s religious beliefs may have played a role — rumors intensified by Variety’s report that she did not leave voluntarily. (As we wrote last week, however, we found no evidence supporting claims that she belonged to a church that practices gay exorcisms.)
Ifeachor’s rep, in comments to The Mirror, is here to set the record straight: She was not fired, her rep insists. “Dr. Heather Collins was simply not written in as a part of Season 2, which is a creative decision that has been confirmed by HBO.” See? Not fired—just not asked to return. For creative reasons!
The rep also insisted that Ifeachor’s exit had nothing to do with her beliefs because Ifeachor does not discriminate. “Furthermore, any rumors about Tracy participating in any discrimination through her religion are completely incorrect, defamatory, and hurtful,” the rep said, adding, “This gossip could not be further from the truth. She is a woman who leads with love, kindness, and compassion, and as her very gay publicist, I can say that I see this daily, firsthand.”
See? Ifeachor not only has a gay friend, she has a gay employee! Case closed.
In completely unrelated news, here’s Ifeachor appearing in an Instagram reel several months ago for Jesus House in the UK, where she speaks about maintaining her Christian identity in her work. Also, the pastor of Jesus House, Agu Irukwu, has repeatedly spoken out against same-sex marriage and condemned equality laws. An archived page on the Jesus House website also reportedly compared homosexuality to bestiality.
Nothing to see here!
