Former ‘Degrassi: Next Generation’ Writer Says Drake Complained and Threatened to Leave Show Over His Character Being in a Wheelchair

Drake reportedly threatened to take legal action to get his Degrassi character “out of the wheelchair.”

Former Degrassi: Next Generation writer James Hurst says Drake allegedly complained about his character in the show being in a wheelchair and almost didn’t come back to the show over the character’s transition. 

“There was a letter from a law firm in Toronto, and it was from Aubrey. It was an odd letter that said, ‘Aubrey Graham will not return to Degrassi season six as Jimmy Brooks unless his injury is healed, and he’s out of the wheelchair.’ I said, ‘Get him down here,'” said Hurst, who was discussing the incident in an oral history of the show. “He came in and was like, ‘What letter? I don’t know about that.’ And I said, ‘All right, I understand. But how do you feel about the wheelchair?'” The oral history was published by The A.V. Club on Thursday. 

Drake was on the show for the first seven seasons of the rebooted show. In a two-part episode of season 4, Drakes’s character Jimmy Brooks was shot during a school shooting resulting in his paralyzation.

“[Drake’s] like, ‘All my friends in the rap game say I’m soft because I’m in a wheelchair.’ And I said, ‘Well, tell your friends in the rap game that you got shot. How much harder can you get? You got shot, and you’re in a wheelchair.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, yeah.’

“He was so nice and apologetic about everything. He instantly backed down. I was very passionate about it, and I said, ‘Aubrey, there’s some kid somewhere in a wheelchair, who’s completely ignored, who’s never on television, never gets represented. I need you to represent this person. You’re the coolest kid on the show, and you can say there’s nothing wrong with being in a wheelchair,'” Hurst said.