Leah Remini Snaps Back at 'Kevin Can Wait' Bashers; Show Disrespected Erinn Hayes' Donna?
Bashers of "Kevin Can Wait" are hearing it straight from Leah Remini on social media. The actress is relentlessly defending how the CBS show killed off Erinn Hayes' character, Donna, in the season premiere to accommodate Remini's character, Vanessa.
Remini won't allow fans to pin the blame on her for how "Kevin Can Wait" treated Hayes. The actress has been responding to viewers' criticisms on Twitter and defending herself from fans who said the show was disrespectful.
"I don't write or produce the show," Remini said in one of her responses on Twitter. "I didn't make the decision. It's a sitcom and it isn't that deep. She is on another show and real things are going on in the world," she further clarified.
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The public anger stemmed from the lack of heart in how "Kevin Can Wait" presented that Donna is gone. Two simple scene guilelessly mentioned her absence in the season 2 premiere.
One scene had Kevin (Kevin James) and daughter Kendra (Taylor Spreitler) talking about Donna's gym membership. Another scene had both characters expressing that they miss Donna as Kendra is about to say her wedding vows. Fans, however, thought "Kevin Can Wait" dismissed the character as swiftly and as quickly as it can.
"[She] deserved much more respect than the one line it took to erase her from 'Kevin Can Wait,'" a viewer stated.
"Kevin Can Wait" producers decided to let go of Hayes for season 2 back in May. They wanted to go in a different direction of making Kevin a single father with three kids.
Remini, who guest starred in two episodes in season 1, became a permanent cast member for season 2. Producers, however, explained that her relationship with Kevin on the show will not be a romantic pair up.
The controversial cast shake-up on "Kevin Can Wait," however, affected the show's ratings for the second season premiere. It opened with viewership down to 12 percent in its demo audience compared to its season 1 debut.
