Warning: this post contains spoilers from the Sunday, December 10, episode of The Walking Dead.
When signing on to a show like The Walking Dead, most actors know there’s a risk that they’ll be killed off — but Chandler Riggs’ dad did not see the twist coming. The actor’s character, Carl Grimes, was bitten by a zombie during the finale. He did not die in the episode and fans will get a chance to say their goodbyes in February when the show returns.
Riggs revealed in an interview he found out about the death when shooting in the summer and while it was a surprise for him, apparently it was more upsetting for his dad.
“Watching [Scott] Gimple fire my son 2 weeks before his 18th birthday after telling him they wanted him for the next 3 years was disappointing,” William Riggs wrote on Facebook, via Variety. The post has since been deleted. “I never trusted Gimple or AMC but Chandler did. I know how much it hurt him. But we do absolutely know how lucky we have been to be a part of it all and appreciate all the love from fans all these years!”
This isn’t the first time Riggs’ father posted about the show. In November 2016, he shared a photo with his son in Instagram, celebrating the end of his seven-year contract. He added the caption “#freedom.”
The actor admitted following the episode that leaving the show was not his decision but was “story related” and important to the future for the show.
“I was planning on going to college until I found out. I found out when I was doing rehearsals for episode six back in June. It was quite the shocker for me, Andy and everyone because I don’t think anyone saw it coming,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s definitely not a bad thing because it has been awesome being on the show but now I get to go and do a lot of other stuff that I haven’t gotten to do before. Scott wanted to meet in person because it was such a big deal. We had just finished rehearsing for a scene in episode six and he wanted to meet with me and my mom and dad and talk about what’s going to happen.”
The Walking Dead returns to AMC Sunday, February 25, at 9 p.m. ET.
