[Warning: The below contains minor spoilers for Wednesday Season 2 Episode 1.]
Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) is back on the case. The first batch of Wednesday Season 2 episodes dropped on August 6, and the Netflix series wasted no time in setting up a new mystery for the psychic detective. Along with a crew of new characters, some of the friends that Wednesday made in Season 1 are along for the ride, including her roommate Enid (Emma Myers). However, one familiar face is notably absent.
We’re talking about Xavier Thorpe, played by Percy Hynes White. Wednesday’s Nevermore classmate was a major player in Season 1, functioning as one side of Wednesday’s love triangle. (The other belonged to Hunter Doohan‘s Tyler.) However, after the actor announced that he wouldn’t return for the show’s sophomore season, many fans wondered how Xavier would be has been written out of the story. Now, they have their answer. Keep reading for the full rundown.
How was Xavier was written out of Wednesday Season 2?
Viewers might remember that in Season 1, Xavier got caught in the crossfire of Wednesday’s investigation into the identity of the murderous Hyde monster. Before Tyler revealed himself as the killer, Wednesday suspected Xavier, which led to his brief arrest.
It turns out that didn’t sit well with Xavier’s dad. In the first episode of Season 2, Wednesday and her family returns to Nevermore Academy, where the newly appointed Principal Dort (Steve Buscemi) explains that Vincent Thorpe pulled his son out of school. After his son was falsely being accused of murder, Vincent also yanked his endowment and vacated his chair on the Gala Fundraising Committee, which is why Dort asks Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) to take his place.
Wednesday only has a minimal reaction to the news of Xavier’s departure. “Xavier’s not coming back this year?” she askes in her usual monotone, with a mostly blank expression.
Dort elaborates that Xavier’s enrolled at the Reichenbach Academy in Switzerland. Gomez (Luis Guzmán) remarks that he once spent the summer there as an exchange student, and that seems to be that. They switch topics and move on.
It’s not the last we hear of Xavier, though. Later on, a package arrives in Wednesday and Enid’s dorm room. The letter that comes with it reveals that it’s from Xavier. He notes that he tried texting Wednesday on the phone he gave her, but he assumes she lost it. When Enid questions her about it, Wednesday claims she dropped it in the bath. (Cut to a short clip of her deliberately tossing the phone into a pot of boiling water.)
Xavier, who’s a psychic artist, explains that he’s sent her a goodbye gift in the form of one of his paintings. It depicts a creepy, one-eyed crow perched on a headstone. “Don’t ask me how I know or what it means, but it’s connected to you, I’m sure. Who’s Wednesday Addams without a mystery to solve, right?” Xavier signs off, and Wednesday doesn’t hear from him again over the course of the next few episodes.
Why did Percy Hynes White leave Wednesday?
Months after Season 1 premiered, the actor was accused of sexual assault by a user on X. They claimed it occurred at a party Hynes White hosted in Toronto, adding that he allegedly assaulted other women and underage girls. “He would pursue, have sex with, abuse and get my friend high who was 13/14 at the time,” they said in the since-deleted tweet, according to Variety. “Last time I knew they had sex she was 16 and he was 20. He assaulted me at one of those parties while I was too drunk, and he had cornered and pressured and assaulted multiple of my friends.”
Hynes White responded to the allegations on Instagram, denying that there was any truth to them. “Earlier this year, somebody I’ve never met started a campaign of misinformation about me online,” he wrote. “Underage photos of me were used, and examples of me acting in character were presented as hateful. My friend Jane was falsely portrayed as a victim, and her attempts to set the record straight have been ignored. She gave me permission to include her in this message.”
Fans campaigned for the 23-year-old actor’s removal from Wednesday, and in May 2024, he confirmed that he wouldn’t make an appearance in Season 2. “I had so much fun working on this show,” Hynes White captioned an Instagram Story, which included a photo of his castmates. “I can’t wait to watch season 2 🙂 Much love.”
What do you think of how Wednesday handled Xavier’s exit? Let us know in the comments below!
Wednesday, Season 2, Part 1, Streaming Now, Netflix
Wednesday, Season 2, Part 2, Wednesday, September 3, Netflix
If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.