Erinn Hayes is showing subtle support for fans pledging to boycott Kevin Can Wait after the actress was let go from the CBS sitcom after one season.
Hayes, 41, has been “liking” tweets from outraged viewers in recent weeks who have expressed their disappointment in her surprise exit. “Our book club quotes ‘gots to go’ all the time and think of you…we are all tuning out of Kevin Can Wait!” one wrote. Another added: “Guess who isn’t watching a certain show on TV anymore? And who wants to know the minute you get a better gig? :)”
A different user chimed in, “absolutely crap loved yours and Kevin’s interaction on the show. Won’t Be watching any longer don’t like the kings of Queen’s gal.”
In other tweets also “liked” by Hayes, fans showed their support for the actress by bashing the sitcom that has proceeded without her. “The ‘kevin can wait’ show is nothing without you,” one fan said. Another wrote: “Miss you on kevin can wait.. it’s not fair you’re no longer there..”
As previously reported, Hayes’ character, Donna, was killed off the series in order to accommodate Kevin James’ former King of Queens costar Leah Remini joining the show as a regular cast member. Hayes tweeted her defense of Remini on September 30, calling on her fans to stop attacking the new cast member. “So I’ve been silent on this and have enjoyed the support of all the fans that have reached out to say something positive,” she wrote. “But please can we stop the personal attacks on @LeahRemini in my name? It’s ugly, I never asked for it and let’s be above it.”
James recently spoke out about the cast shakeup, explaining that the decision wasn’t personal. “I get that people are like, ‘Whoa, why would you do this?’ But it really felt like a thing like this was needed for this show to drive forward,” the actor, 52, told the New York Daily News in an interview published on Saturday, October 14. “The plot of the show didn’t have enough drive. If we got through a second season, I wouldn’t see us getting through a third one. We were literally just running out of ideas.”
Kevin Can Wait airs on CBS Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.