Actor Geno Segers will no longer be the next star in the Broadway production of Hadestown after videos of him making transphobic comments resurfaced last week.
The producers confirmed in a statement that they have “mutually agreed” to part ways with Segers only days after announcing his role as Hades. While the statement did not give an explanation, the announcement came after the OnStage Blog spotlighted since-deleted videos Segers posted to YouTube over the past few years.
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In one video, Segers claims accepting trans people is a slippery slope to accepting people who identify as animals. “I’m not against anyone living out their lives the way they want,” he said, “but I am against their rights superseding the rights of other people.”
He also claimed, “I don’t see transgender people becoming oppressed or being oppressed.”
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On July 30, Chris Peterson and Greg Ehrhardt of OnStage Blog shared another clip in which Segers mocked the idea of someone asking his pronouns. “If I’m not doing something that gives you the idea that I might not be what I present, then that makes sense to me,” Segers said. “But if you ask me what my preferred pronouns are and it’s not obvious to you that I’m a he/him… Surely I mean you don’t need any help. I’m not wearing a dress. I’m just saying I’m not doing anything that would say my preferred pronouns could be under question.”
In response, Peterson said it’s not a surprise to hear someone make comments like that these days, but it’s shocking “that it was coming from someone who is seeking employment in an industry chock-full of trans and nonbinary people.”
On Monday, Segers posted an apology to social media. “While I never intended to inflict harm, I recognize that the impact of my statements is what matters most,” he wrote. “I am fully committed to listening, educating myself, and elevating my standards. I will work tirelessly to earn the opportunity to make things right.”
He also apologized to the Hadestown team “for the stress my actions have brought to this production.”
“I accept full responsibility for my words,” he added, “and acknowledge the necessity of immediate accountability.”
OnStage blasted his apology as “not enough,” saying it “refuses to name the people harmed or the conduct that caused the harm.”
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