Amandla Stenberg has addressed The Acolyte’s unexpected cancellation.
The Star Wars series, which premiered on Disney+ in June this year, was discontinued just over a month after its final episode aired. This left Disney’s slate after only a single season.
The show, featuring Stenberg in the roles of Mae and Osha Aniseya, centered around a former Padawan who reconnects with her Jedi Master to probe a sequence of crimes concealing a much darker secret.
While Disney has not provided specific reasons for the show’s cancellation, speculation includes mixed reviews and low viewership that did not justify the production costs as potential factors for the termination of The Acolyte.
Following the initial news of the show’s cancellation last week, Stenberg has used Instagram to ‘speak candidly’ about the show’s reception and its eventual discontinuation.
On her Instagram stories, Stenberg remarked: “It’s not a huge shock for me [that The Acolyte was canceled]. Of course, I live in the bubble of my own reality but for those who aren’t aware there has been a rampage of vitriol that we have faced since the show was even announced.”
“When it was still just a concept and no one had even seen it, that’s when we started experiencing a rampage of hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred, and hateful language towards us,” they continued. “This really affected me when I first got the job because it’s just not something, even though I anticipated it happening, it’s not something you can fully understand what it feels like until it’s happening to you.”
“It has been an incredible honor and dream for me to be in this universe,” Stenberg added. “And I just want to let those people know out there who supported us in that way, and supported us vocally in the face of all the vitriol that we received and the kind of the targeted attack I would say we received by the alt-right, just that you were deeply loved and appreciated and it made this job all the worthwhile for me.”
“And I have to thank [show runner] Leslye Headland,” they added. “One of the best people in the world.”
“She’s so incredibly talented and unique…I will love this experience with her forever.”
At the time of The Acolyte’s cancellation, the fanbase appeared divided over the decision. The show reportedly garnered 4.8 million views on its first day of streaming and debuted on Nielsen’s Top 10 originals charts during its premiere week.
However, its audience numbers declined after its third week, leading many to believe it had the lowest viewership for a Star Wars series finale.