‘Run the World’: How Andrea Bordeaux Will Be Written out of the Show
Starz‘s acclaimed dramedy Run the World is set to return for a second season. The series followed four girlfriends, Ella (Andrea Bordeaux), Sondi (Corbin Reid) Whitney (Amber Stevens West), and Renee (Bresha Webb) trying to navigate their lives and relationships in present-day Harlem. However, despite the series being renewed for a second season in Feb. 2022, it was announced that Bordeaux would not be returning to the TV show.
Now with just three leads remaining, here’s how Bordeaux’s character Bella will likely be written out of the show.
‘Run the World’ will return for Season 2 at Starz
Set in present-day Harlem, an uptown neighborhood in New York City, Run the World centers on four, thirty-something best friends, trying to navigate their personal and professional lives together. In the first season Ella (Andrea Bordeaux), a writer, is struggling to find her footing again after her debut book was panned. Sondi (Corbin Reid) is a Ph.D. candidate whose academic career and personal life are colliding in a major way.
Whitney (Amber Stevens West) is a perfectionist banker whose forthcoming nuptials to her long-term boyfriend, Ola (Tosin Morohunfola) cause her to make some extremely rash decisions. Finally, there is Renee (Bresha Webb), who is trying to untangle her life from her estranged husband Jason (Jay Walker) while being recognized in her career.
Though the series was greenlit for a second season, Bordeaux will not be returning as Ella.
Andrea Bordeaux will be written out of the show for season 2
Though Bordeaux was a breakout star on the series, she was booted from the series after her refusal to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate put in place by Lionsgate. “Getting the opportunity to play Ella on #RunTheWorld was an absolute dream come true,” Bordeaux wrote on Instagram. “I would have loved to continue to grow with this delightful character and having to come to terms with this sharp turn in my life, my dream, and career these past several weeks has been heartbreaking beyond words.”
Deadline is reporting that Lionsgate and the actor could not find a workable solution and that ultimately Bordeaux’s character would not be recast. It’s likely then that Ella will be written out and replaced with a brand new character. ‘
Tika Sumpter and Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins have joined ‘Run the World’ for season 2
Though the release date for the second season has not yet been announced, the cast is already getting more robust amid Bordeaux’s exit. Tika Sumpter has been cast as “Naomi,” the biological mother of Amari. The Naval military officer is going to force Sondi to rethink her place in her new family dynamic.
Meanwhile, Featherson-Jenkins has been cast as “India Blue,” a “beautiful, confident, cool, and incredibly successful singer/songwriter/producer” who is looking to cozy up with Jason.
Additionally, comedian CP and Isha Blaaker will join the cast in recurring roles. Cree Summer is also set to guest star in the series.
