Norman Reedus Fired or Dead?

Claim:   Actor Norman Reedus has been fired from The Walking Dead after a disagreement with producers.

FALSE

Example:   [Collected via e-mail, April 2014]

Norman Reedus was fired from The Walking Dead on Saturday, March 29, 2014 after a shocking disagreement with producers Scott Gimple and Robert Kirkman. Fan petitions have already been circulating. Plus find out who may be playing "Daryl" in Season 5

Origins:   Shortly after the airing of the fourth season finale of AMC's popular zombie-themed TV drama The Walking Dead on 30 March 2014, an event that drew an estimated audience of 15.7 million viewers, word began to circulate that actor Norman Reedus, who portrays the character of Daryl Dixon in that show, had just been fired after a disagreement with producers and would be replaced in his role by another actor in the upcoming season.

There was no truth to the rumor, however. The claim appears to have originated with an April Fool's Facebook post featuring a payoff that lured victims into a variant of rickrolling.

A similar hoax spread in June 2014 held that the actor had been killed in a motorcycle accident.

Last updated:   27 March 2016