Former Superman and Lois writer and producer Nadria Tucker released a series of tweets Nov. 6 about how she was let go from the CW/Warner Bros. show.

“Some personal news: Wednesday I got word that my contract on Superman and Lois won’t be extended, my services no longer needed, my outline and draft subpar (obviously I disagree with that last bit lol),” she wrote in part. “This, after months of me flagging #metoo jokes in dialogue, of me defending the Bechdel test, of me FIGHTING to ensure the only Black faces on screen aren’t villains, of me pitching stories for female characters (there’s one in the title of the series!) that went ignored.”

Superman and Lois hasn’t aired yet, with its debut scheduled for February 2021.  Tucker, who previously wrote for SyFy’s Superman-related show Krypton and WGN, tweeted about how her concerns about character diversity and inclusion seemed to have a hand in her ouster.

Shadow And Act reached out to Tucker and The CW, but the latter had not responded by the time of publishing.

Tucker’s responses to us suggest a feeling of being targeted as a problem, rather than part of the solution for Hollywood’s ongoing issues with diversity. While Tucker didn’t mention Superman & Lois showrunner Todd Helbing by name, she said it was his decision to fire her.

“I was in the writers’ room from the beginning, helping shape the season and individual episodes of the show,” she said. “I only know that when he told me I wouldn’t be extended, the showrunner said my writing wasn’t good enough. He answers to both CW and WB, but the showrunner is the decision-maker.”

Tucker said some of her conversations with writers regarding diversity included making sure that scenes are inclusive, but her focus on actor inclusivity didn’t go well. “For one, there were so many conversations about casting–down to the background actors.,” she said. “All of the representation matters. I think the showrunner responded poorly because to him, diverse casting was a chore. The series shoots in Canada and the showrunner expressed concern about finding actors of color.”

Justice League‘s Ray Fisher is now waging a battle against Warner Bros., director Joss Whedon and DC executive Geoff Johns due to allegations of an “abusive” and toxic working environment. After reading about Tucker’s experience, he tweeted that he wanted to speak to her. Tucker confirmed that Fisher has reached out to her.

“I spoke to Ray, and he’s been incredibly supportive,” she said. “Of course I believe him, and as far as parallels [between her experience and Fisher’s]–it’s all the same company.”

Tucker says from this, she wants to see real changes behind-the-scenes.

“All the diversity initiatives in the world won’t help if you ignore and mistreat the voices you’ve spent so much time and money to recruit and hire. It comes from the top,” she said. “Does the showrunner want to honor unique perspectives or just check a few boxes? I hope more showrunners, studios and networks focus on the former. Anything else is just lip service.”

 

Photo: The CW

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