INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

John Legend Wants ‘Underground’ Revived, Says He ‘Feels Ariana Grande’s Pain’ After Manchester

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 02:24 PST, Jun 1, 2017

John Legend has found a scapegoat for WGN America canceling his TV drama Underground, and that scapegoat is – no surprise here – U.S. President Donald Trump and his fellow conservatives.

John Legend is grasping for any string of hope to revive Underground following WGN America’s cancellation of the Civil War-era TV series where the Oscar-winning musician served as an executive producer and played abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

John Legend took to Twitter on Tuesday to attack the network’s decision to cancel Underground and encouraged other content providers to pick up the TV show, which saw its ratings nose-diving the entire second season and averaged 0.5 million viewers.

By contrast, the first season of Underground, which depicts the struggle for freedom during the Civil War-era, averaged nearly 1 million viewers.

But WGN America claims Underground was canceled not because of its plummeting ratings, but because the TV drama “no longer fits” the network’s “new direction” after its parent company, Tribune Media, made a deal with conservative-leaning Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.

And now John Legend is furious over the network’s decision to cancel the series after two seasons, implying that conservative views of Sinclair prevent the network from airing Underground.

John Legend believes Sinclair, who now has control of more than 200 local TV stations and WGN America as part of the deal with Tribune, is “trying to make local stations mini Fox Newses” that lean even further to the right.

John Legend has never shied away from expressing his liberal views in the media, as the “All of Me” singer has previously described President Trump as “terrible president” and sarcastically praised Trump for not getting into a nuclear war “yet,” according to Vulture.

In a series of tweets, John Legend is encouraging his fans to help find a new home for Underground by dropping “hints” to various networks and streaming services about the TV drama.

John Legend, a vocal critic of Trump’s Muslim ban that was intended to bar citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S., has recently spoken out about the Manchester bombing that killed 22 people and was carried out by a Muslim suicide bomber Salman Abedi that grew up in a family of refugees.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Thursday, John Legend said his “heart goes out to victims’ families” after the Manchester bombing that took place at Ariana Grande’s concert on May 22 and killed mostly children and teens, according to the Daily Mail.

Saying that he “feels” Ariana Grande’s pain following the brutal bombing that reignited the debate in the West about whether or not refugees should be allowed to enter their countries, John Legend added that he “can’t bear the thought” of having to bury a child.

John Legend’s interview about the Manchester bombing comes after the Oscar-winning singer released a video address to the parents of victim Olivia Campbell, who was seen singing his hit song “All of Me” in one of her videos before her death at Ariana Grande’s concert.

John Legend, who became a father in April 2016 when he welcomed daughter Luna Simone with wife Chrissy Teigen, said he “can’t imagine what it feels like” for the victims’ families losing their loved ones in the tragic Ariana Grande concert.

“I know I have a young daughter now, but the idea of having to bury one of your children, I can’t even bear the thought of it. My heart goes out to them.”

After the Manchester bombing had grabbed global headlines on May 22, John Legend took to Twitter to “send love to the U.K., Ariana Grande and all of her supporters who were caught up in this awful attack.” The singer added, “Heartbreaking.”

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]

Share this article: John Legend Wants ‘Underground’ Revived, Says He ‘Feels Ariana Grande’s Pain’ After Manchester
Manchester ariana grande John Legend Chrissy Teigen
More from Inquisitr