Actor Sara Ramirez has indicated that their character Che Diaz has been dropped from television program And Just Like That, suggesting that the decision was linked to their support for Palestine.
Sources from the production have claimed that the character won’t appear in future episodes because their storyline had come to a natural end, and viewers had not embraced the character.
Ramirez, who is non-binary, joined the Sex and the City spin-off during it’s first season playing non-binary comedian Che Diaz who dates longtime cast mate Miranda Hobbs as she explores queer relationships. At first Che hosts a podcast with central character Carrie Bradshaw, later they later go on to film an unsuccessful pilot for a television series, before returning to standup comedy.
Diaz hinted that the character had been axed in a social media post commenting on the Emmy Awards which were held in Hollywood earlier this week.
“Our industry is so duplicitous,” they said. “While they give awards away, casting directors and agents are making blacklists of actors and workers who post anything in support of Palestinians in Gaza to ensure they will not work again.”
‘While they lift up some of their own clients who have spoken up against this genocide, they are firing and letting others who have smaller platforms go.
“While they award ‘lgbtq orgs’, they are silent on those orgs ties to weapons manufacturers who are currently supporting the Israel military as it commits genocide on Palestinian lives that include LGBTQIA2S+ lives.” they said.
Ramirez’s comment came as GLAAD, the organisation that promotes LGBTIQA+ equality in screen productions and truthful reporting in the media, was given the Governor’s Award in recognition of their decades of advocacy.
Taking a swipe at the character they played for the last two seasons Ramirez said Hollywood was guilty of performative activism.
“It’s wild how performative so many in Hollywood are,’ they said. ‘Even more performative than the last character I played.”
The official spokesperson for And Just Like That have declined to give an official comment, but insiders from the show have spoken about how the decision to write out the character of Che from future episodes was about the negative feedback from audiences. They also noted that central cast member Cynthia Nixon who plays Miranda is a vocal supporter of the Palestinian people.
A third season of the show has been confirmed but its been delayed because of the writer’s strike in the USA. Shooting has not yet began and Netflix has confirmed the show will not be back on our screens until 2025.
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