Queen Latifah Weighs In on How ‘The Equalizer’ Will Move Forward After Chris Noth Firing
Queen Latifah is speaking out about her former Equalizer co-star Chris Noth. CBS fired Noth from the hit series after several women accused the Sex and the City star of sexual assault. Now, Latifah is shedding some light on how The Equalizer will move forward after the unexpected departure of one of its key characters.
Chris Noth fired from ‘The Equalizer’
CBS cut ties with Noth in December 2021, shortly after two women claimed the actor sexually assaulted them. The women, who did not know each other, shared detailed descriptions of the alleged assaults in an article published in The Hollywood Reporter. Zoe Lister-Jones, who worked with Noth on Law & Order, also accused the actor of sexually inappropriate behavior (via Deadline) after the article was published, as did several other women.
In a statement, Noth called the allegations against him “categorically false” and described his encounters with the women as consensual. Nonetheless, he was quickly dropped by his agency. Scenes featuring his Mr. Big character were removed from the finale of the Sex and the City revival And Just Like That…. Noth also lost his role on The Equalizer, where he played ex-CIA director William Bishop, a mentor for Latifah’s Robyn Bishop character.
How will ‘The Equalizer’ explain Chris Noth’s absence?
Noth’s final appearance on The Equalizer was on Jan. 2. In that episode, he pulled some major strings to get hacker Harry Keshegian (Adam Goldberg) out of jail. But as of now, it’s not yet clear how the show will explain Bishop’s absence going forward.
”We are figuring out what we want to do creatively on the show and how we’re going to deal with that character,” Latifah said in an interview with People (the TV Show!).
The rapper-turned-actor acknowledged that Noth was an important part of the series.
“Chris’s character’s obviously a big part of the show and it was amazing chemistry, amazing chemistry,” she said.
Queen Latifah calls Chris Noth allegations a ‘dicey, delicate situation’
Noth’s sudden exit puts The Equalizer in a difficult position. But Latifah – like her character on the show – just wants justice done.
“It’s still surreal. It is such a dicey, delicate situation that requires a great deal of respect,” she told People. “That’s a personal thing that he’s going to have to deal with.”
“My feeling is justice has to prevail regardless,” she added. “I just want the right things to be done, you know?”
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
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