Following hot on the heels of Carl Grimes’ recent exit, it looks like The Walking Dead may be forced to kill off another long-running character in the form of Maggie Rhee. The problem is that actress Lauren Cohan is currently engaged in a dispute over payment with AMC. The discussions are clearly not going well, either, as the actress has already signed up for a pilot over at ABC, which could see her leave the show.
Obviously, this is something that’s upsetting both fans of the character and Cohan’s friends within the cast. Khary Payton – who’s played King Ezekiel on TWD for the last couple of seasons – has posted a message to the network that gets straight to the point on his Instagram account. Along with a promo image of Cohan as Maggie, the actor wrote: “Pay the woman.” It’s clear that a lot of people share his view, too, as the post has racked up almost 45,000 likes.
Cohan has been part of the show since season 2, making her one of the longest-running cast members left. It’s understandable, then, that the actress – as has been reported – is seeking a pay raise that would put her much closer to what’s earned by fellow stars Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus. Allegedly, AMC only offered her a “modest” increase, which caused her to seek work elsewhere – namely, ABC’s Whiskey Cavalier.
Despite this worrying development, showrunner Scott Gimple has said that he remains positive something can be worked out. He cited Danai Gurira’s role in Marvel’s Black Panther as proof that The Walking Dead‘s stars can appear in multiple projects.
That said, the two parties have to settle the pay dispute first. And the only way to do that might be for AMC to follow Khary Payton’s advice and “pay the woman.”