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Susan Olsen claims ‘Brady Bunch’ revival was axed because of problematic statements she made

A former child star on The Brady Bunch has claimed a planned revival of the iconic show was axed because of problematic comments she made.

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Brady Bunch star Susan Olsen, who played the youngest of the bunch, revealed she may have been the reason why CBS cancelled the reboot while it was still in development.

During a recent appearance on anti the anti Democratic Party, pro Donald Trump WalkAway Campaign, the US actress railed against what she called “woke Hollywood” by claiming the network allegedly cancelled the Brady Bunch reboot after uncovering past remarks she made about gay people, transgender people and the Covid-19 vaccine.

Olsen, 63, explained that “things were looking good,” for the show until she got a call from her agent.

Susan Olsen played Cindy Brady, the youngest of the Brady Bunch.
Susan Olsen played Cindy Brady, the youngest of the Brady Bunch.
Olsen, now 63, claims the Brady Bunch revival was shelved after controversial comments she made publicly. Picture: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
Olsen, now 63, claims the Brady Bunch revival was shelved after controversial comments she made publicly. Picture: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

“My agent called me and said, ‘Well, the network has a problem with you,’” she said. Her agent allegedly told her the network uncovered homophobic comments she made against actor Leon Acord-Whiting in 2016 that ultimately got her fired from her radio talk show Two Chicks Talkin’ Politics.

She recalled that her agent told her, “‘There was some incident where you had a homophobic rant on the air and you were fired.’ And I said, ‘Oh, gosh, that old thing.’”

The actress dismissed the agent’s claim on her WalkAway Campaign appearance, calling it “fake news”. She claimed she’s “been an ally to the gay community since way before it was cool”.

She explained that she soon agreed to take a “course in political correctness”. But she claimed the network came back with almost “50 pages” of comments she made about transgender people and the Covid-19 vaccine.

“I stand by everything I said,” Olsen said.

The Brady Bunch is considered one of the most iconic sitcoms of all time.
The Brady Bunch is considered one of the most iconic sitcoms of all time.

She later learned that the network refused to move forward with the revival with her attached on a call with her co-stars and her agent. “We’re so sorry, but they won’t budge. They just will not have you in this,’” she claimed her agent told her.

“I’m like, ‘Wow. Wow. I’ve been cancelled,’” Olsen said. “A role that I’ve played for over 50 years — I can’t play it now, because I’m too dangerous“.

Decider has reached out to CBS for comment.

Olsen shed some light on the direction they were taking the show, noting that she wanted it to emulate the Roseanne revival, which was ultimately cancelled after Roseanne Barr made problematic comments online.

“I was hoping to continue what Roseanne Barr had set out to do, which I really liked,” she said.

“Her reboot had a family with completely different political opinions, and in the end they all love and respect each other.”

The franchise recently got a popular reboot, A Very Brady Renovation, where all six of the Brady kids helped renovate the iconic house used on the show.
The franchise recently got a popular reboot, A Very Brady Renovation, where all six of the Brady kids helped renovate the iconic house used on the show.

Olsen noted that they made a point of highlighting each character’s political affiliation during development. Her character, Cindy Brady, was going to be a libertarian radio host. Greg Brady was meant to be a Republican, while Jan Brady was set to identify as a liberal.

The Brady Bunch revival may be dead in the water, but the franchise recently got a popular reboot on HGTV in A Very Brady Renovation, where all six of the Brady kids helped renovate the iconic house used on the show.

The show was a hit on HGTV, garnering the network’s biggest audience in almost two years.

This story originally appeared on Decider and was reproduced with permission

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/flashback/susan-olsen-claims-brady-bunch-revival-was-axed-because-of-problematic-statements-she-made/news-story/0eda02df37937d449af9bfa69098fb0f