Actor Emilio Estevez has denied being anti-vaccine and said his departure from a Disney TV series was “nothing more than a good old fashioned contract dispute”.
Multiple media outlets reported Estevez, the brother of Charlie Sheen and son of Martin Sheen, was leaving The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers due to a disagreement over a vaccine mandate.
However he has issued a lengthy statement denying his departure ahead of the show’s second season was connected to a refusal to have the jab.
Estevez, 59, said in a statement to Deadline: “I am not anti-vaxx. Full stop.
“I take this pandemic very seriously, and I am often teased about my continued following of the safety protocols and my abundance of caution.
“In the final analysis, this was nothing more than a good old fashioned contract dispute and not, as some would believe an anti-vaccine position.
“While I can’t speak for anyone else in regards to this polarising, sensitive issue, I have my own lived experience.”
Estevez, star of films including The Breakfast Club, St Elmo’s Fire and The Outsiders, said he had been suffering with “long haul” Covid after testing positive for the virus in March 2020.
He said he reluctantly returned to work on The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers despite fears for his health.
Estevez, who starred in The Mighty Ducks films, said “the legacy of the franchise was more important to me than my own health”.
He added: “My exit from the show was due to a myriad of creative differences – any other narrative is false.
“To the fans of the franchise – I am as disappointed as you are.
“To my Ducks cast and crew – have a wonderful Season 2 on the show and please know that I will miss you all.”