The Pitt star’s gay publicist slams ‘entirely false’ claims show exit related to church links
The Pitt star Tracy Ifeachor has denied she was ‘fired’ from the show over links to a notoriously anti-LGBTQ+ church. (Getty)
The Pitt star Tracy Ifeachor has denied she was 'fired' from the show over links to a notoriously anti-LGBTQ+ church. (Getty)
A representative for The Pitt star Tracy Ifeachor have slammed online rumours that she was “fired” from the show due to her links to an anti-LGBTQ+ church, branding the claims “entirely false”.
Last week, Ifeachor shockingly confirmed via Instagram that she wouldn’t be reprising her leading role as Dr. Heather Collins in HBO’s medical procedural drama The Pitt, despite the character becoming a fan favourite.
Ifeachor had even been nominated for a Black Reel Award in the Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Drama Series category, while The Pitt is expected to bag a handful of nominations at the 2025 Emmy Awards.
After her exit from the show was made public, The Pitt fans began theorising as to why HBO may have made the surprise decision.
Ifeachor’s own publicist team stated that the decision was a “creative” one, indicating that she did not leave on her own accord.
Some fans of the show eventually unearthed the fact that the British actress has previously supported controversial church Jesus House UK.
Back in March, she attended the church to share her “powerful journey of faith”, with the visit shared in a video on the church’s social media platforms.
After fans of The Pitt tried to piece together the puzzle of Ifeachor’s departure, they wrongfully assumed that HBO had sacked her over her loose link to the church.
Yet Ifeachor’s representatives have strongly denied that this is the case, saying that the claims are “hurtful” and “defamatory”.
“These claims are entirely false. First, Tracy was not fired. Dr. Heather Collins was simply not written in as a part of Season 2, which is a creative decision that has been confirmed by HBO,” reads the statement, which was initially sent to The Mirror US.
“This gossip could not be further from the truth. She is a woman who leads with love, kindness, and compassion, and as her very gay publicist, I can say that I see this daily, firsthand,” it continued.
“Furthermore, any rumors about Tracy participating in any discrimination through her religion are completely incorrect, defamatory, and hurtful.”
Agu Irukwu, a Senior Pastor at Jesus House UK, has historically suggested that homosexuality is not equal to heterosexuality, while a decade-old survey, since archived from the website, compared homosexuality to bestiality.
After the UK’s current prime minister Kier Starmer visited the church back in 2021, then as the leader of the opposition, years-old accusations that the church engaged in gay conversion therapy came back to light.
Starmer was forced to apologise for visiting the church, saying that he was not “aware” of the church’s views on LGBTQ+ rights.
Christian website Ekklesia alleged back in 2009 that Jesus House had carried out “exorcisms” on those who are “sexually attracted to members of their own sex”.
At the time of Starmer’s visit, Irukwu refuted the accusations, telling Premiere Christian News that the church is not “anti-anyone” and does not “engage in any form of conversion therapy”.
However, he did coyly state that the church “provides appropriate pastoral support, including prayer, to all our members, whatever life situations or circumstances they find themselves in”.
Prior to playing Dr. Heather Collins in The Pitt, Tracy Ifeachor was best known for her roles in The Originals, Doctor Who, and Showtrial.
She also played a queer pirate in 2014 show Crossbones.
The Pitt season one is streaming on HBO Max.
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