Aaron McGruder has officially confirmed his seemingly sudden departure from The Boondocks. He bid the show an emotional farewell in an open letter published by the LA Times.
The letter comes just a week after Sony Pictures Television issued a press release saying the upcoming fourth season of the show “was produced without the involvement of Aaron McGruder, when a mutually agreeable production schedule could not be determined.”
Aaron writes:
“As the world now knows, ‘The Boondocks’ will be returning for a fourth season, but I will not be returning with it,” McGruder began. “I’d like to extend my gratitude to Sony and Adult Swim for three great seasons.”
“I created ‘The Boondocks’ two decades ago in college, did the daily comic for six years and was show runner on the animated series for the first three seasons,” McGruder wrote. ” ‘The Boondocks’ pretty much represents my life’s work to this point. Huey, Riley and Granddad are not just property to me. They are my fictional blood relatives. Nothing is more painful than to leave them behind.
“To quote a great white man, ‘Hollywood is a business.’ And to quote another great white man, ‘Don’t hold grudges.’
“What has never been lost on me is the enormous responsibility that came with ‘The Boondocks’ — particularly the television show and its relatively young audience. It was important to offend, but equally important to offend for the right reasons. For three seasons I personally navigated this show through the minefields of controversy. It was not perfect. And it definitely was not quick. But it was always done with a keen sense of duty, history, culture and love. Anything less would have been unacceptable.
“As for me, I’m finally putting a life of controversy and troublemaking behind me with my upcoming Adult Swim Show, ‘Black Jesus.’ “
It’s sad to see him leave the show, but we wish him the best in his new endeavors.
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