PUBLISHED BY DANA SCOTT | OCTOBER 12, 2017

At a crucial point in American television, Good Times presented one of the first beloved Black TV fathers (along with Redd Foxx’s “Fred Sanford”) in John Amos’ groundbreaking portrayal of “James Evans.” Along with his co-star wife “Florida Evans” (played by the late Esther Rolle), they were the first Black nuclear family on the small screen, well before the revered “Huxtables.”

But, at the height of the show’s popularity, James Evans was killed, leaving many devastated and with no closure for the loss of a beloved character. Many wondered why the show’s producers would make such a decision and, over the years, rumors surfaced that they and Amos could not reach an agreement in their contractual negotiations. When Amos appeared for an interview on Sway In The Morning, Sway asked what caused him to leave the show, and Amos spared no punches in his response.

Citing creative differences with the show’s writers, Amos said of his 1976 departure “I left because I was told that my services were no longer needed because I had become a ‘disruptive element.’ In other words, I didn’t have the diplomacy that I think I’ve cultivated over the last 10 or 15 years. Being born in Newark, raised in East Orange, I had a way of voicing my differences against the script that weren’t acceptable to the creative staff. I mean, the writers got tired of having their lives threatened over jokes.”

Read more at http://ambrosiaforheads.com/2017/10/john-amos-fired-good-times-video/