Shots Fired! Jared Padalecki Disses The CW After Walker Cancellation: ‘They Can’t Fire Me Again’
Jared Padalecki has some strong opinions about The CW following the cancellation of his show, Walker. The network, which is now under new leadership, opted to end the Western drama in May 2024 after four seasons, to the dismay of both fans and the Supernatural alum.
Ahead of the final episode, which aired on June 26, Padalecki spoke to our sister site Variety about the cancellation, and he did not hold back when it came to criticizing the network he has spent over two decades at.
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“I feel like The CW that I was a part of last year is not The CW that I was a part of under [former chairman and CEO] Mark Pedowitz for that entire, almost 20-year stretch,” he said of Nextstar Media Group, which acquired the network in November 2022.
Since the acquisition, Nextstar has phased out original scripted series and is instead focusing on non-scripted programming and low-cost foreign imports like Sullivan’s Creek and Wild Cards, both of which film in Canada. After Walker was canceled, All American became the only surviving scripted series from the pre-Nexstar era of The CW.
Padalecki added that Nextstar is “changing the network around” with its cost-cutting strategy. “It’s not really going to be a TV network as much as it’s going to be, ‘Here’s something fun for an hour that you’ll never watch again, but hopefully you watch it. And it’s cheap!'” he continued. “And I hate to say that, but I’m just being honest. I mean, f— it. They can’t fire me again. I’m just being brutally honest. I think it felt to me like they were looking for really easy, cheap content that they could fill up time with.”
He noted that he hasn’t fully “grieved the loss of Walker,” but would have “done the show forever.” The series was a reboot of the hit ’90s show Walker, Texas Ranger, which ran for nine seasons and featured Chuck Norris as the titular character. Padalecki’s modern-day reimagining centered on Cordell Walker, a widower and father of two, as he returns home to Austin, Texas after being undercover for two years. “I just loved my character. I loved that I got to be in Austin with my family. I loved my cast and loved our crew,” he said of the show.
Walker also wasn’t the only pre-Nextstar show to meet the same fate this year. All American‘s only spin-off, All American: Homecoming, was canceled just a few days after Walker, and Superman & Lois will be ending its run with the upcoming fourth season.
As for what’s next for Padalecki, the Supernatural alum isn’t interested in doing another long-running network show. “You really have to sacrifice a lot, and I’ve sacrificed everything I have to sacrifice for many, many years, and I think I’m at a point in my life where I want to spend more time with my wife and kids,” he told TVLine. He is, however, open to reuniting with Supernatural creator Eric Kripke on his Amazon Prime Video series The Boys. Both Jensen Ackles and Jeffrey Dean Morgan have already appeared on the series, making Padalecki the final Supernatural alum needed to complete the trifecta.
“Kripke and I texted today. It’s not been written yet, but I think he was saying [the final season] doesn’t even film until 2025,” Padalecki told Variety. “So yeah, I’m going to go play in Kripke’s newest playground. I had a great time the first time around, so I’m sure I’ll have a great time here again.”
For more on primetime shows, check out this gallery on your favorite primetime stars’ real-life partners.
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