J.D. Witherspoon, the son of the late John Witherspoon, says he had a disappointing audition experience for the infamous role of Granddad in the adult cartoon The Boondocks.
Fans were excited to hear that a reboot of the cult classic cartoon would be making its way back to the small screen. HBO Max picked up the series from Adult Swim on a two-season order debuting in Fall 2020.
However, the Witherspoon family is not feeling the recent developments of the show and it all stems from a somewhat disrespectful audition.
During an audition to voice the character originally played by his father, Witherspoon said that when he entered the audition room the casting director made comments that made him uncomfortable.
Despite Witherspoon’s experience in the industry and amazing ability to imitate his dad, the current powers that be questioned his abilities and ended up cutting him from consideration altogether for an actor of their preference.
“It was weird because every time I reached out, I was met with excuses. I don’t know what happened or what changed, but they went from saying ‘Yo, J.D. we got to sit down, we got to figure this out’ — within the week of the funeral — they got back to me with ‘Sorry, I’m busy,'” Witherspoon said on his podcast video.
For the record, J.D. Witherspoon has 26 acting credits under his belt with roles in Black Dynamite, Black Jesus, Lazor Wulf, Confetti and Player Select, to name a few. The actor and comedian who was ultimately not selected for the role said the audition process has given him anxiety to this day. Witherspoon let people know that his family would not be involved with The Boondocks or watching the show going forward.
He seemed disappointed that another actor will be impersonating the voice of his dad, along with the help of computer orchestrated tweaking.
At this time, the cast of The Boondocks reboot was not confirmed. But, fans are hoping that show creator Aaron McGruder and Regina King, who voiced the two siblings Riley and Huey, return to the show.
Beloved comedian and actor John Witherspoon died from a heart attack on October 29, 2019 in Sherman Oaks, California. He was known for his endearing roles in The Boondocks and Ice Cube’s Friday films.
