Drake Was Not 'Kicked Off' 'Degrassi,' Says Producer Who Probably Wants Drake Tickets
This Drake-Degrassi drama is not 100 percent intense. Nor does it go “there.” But, I’ll take it.
A few days ago, W magazine published an interview in which the rapper—born Aubrey Drake Graham—alleged to have been “kicked off” of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Drake—who played Jimmy Brooks on the Canadian teen drah-muh for seven seasons—explained that the people running the show forced him to choose between his Degrassi commitments and his burgeoning music career.
“[Music] was part of the reason I was kicked off the show,” the noted good girl enthusiast told the mag. “Back then, I’d spend a full day on set and then go to the studio to make music until 4 or 5 a.m. I’d sleep in my dressing room and then be in front of the cameras again by 9 a.m. Eventually, they realized I was juggling two professions and told me I had to choose...[and] I chose this life.”
On Friday, Degrassi co-creator and executive producer Linda Schuyler responded to Drake’s claims by basically saying “Wow, that’s a great story, Ellie.”
“I’m hoping there was just some miscommunication here, because if that’s the perception nothing could make me sadder,” Schuyler told BuzzFeed News Friday, maintaining that her team never presented Drake with an ultimatum. “Not only did we know [about Drake’s workload], we helped him with it.”
What say Drake? Who knows! His publicist declined to comment on what Schuyler said, BuzzFeed News reports.
As for Degrassi, the show got cancelled and then, like, un-cancelled or something. I don’t know. My Degrassi Livejournal community days are behind me.