‘Brady Bunch’ star claims CBS didn’t want her in planned reboot over controversial political views

Here’s the story of how a “Brady Bunch” star allegedly wasn’t welcome in a planned reboot.

During an appearance on the Walk Away Campaign podcast, Susan Olsen, who played Cindy Brady on “The Brady Bunch,” claimed a reboot of the classic sitcom was in the works at CBS, but the network had a problem with bringing her back because of her political views.

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for CBS for comment.

Olsen said the alleged project was worked on for about a year and had a showrunner and producer in place. The actress recalled being “really pleased” with the treatment for the show, which she compared to the reboot of “Roseanne” and would have involved Cindy being a libertarian podcaster. Olsen is “technically” a libertarian herself but doesn’t fully agree with the party and has sometimes joined the Republican Party to vote in its primaries, she said.

But Olsen said CBS raised concerns about having her return for the reboot after learning of a 2016 incident where she reportedly called actor Leon Acord-Whiting an anti-gay slur in a private message after he was a guest on her political radio show.

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At the time, LA Talk Radio said it does “not tolerate hateful speech by anyone associated with our radio station” and had “severed our ties” with Olsen. The actress claimed on the podcast this incident was misreported and that she wasn’t fired, though she stopped doing her political show.

In light of this incident, Olsen said CBS asked her to take a “political correctness” course, and she agreed. But the network subsequently did further research into her political views and came up with “50 pages of dangerous” statements she has made, she alleged. She said she voted for former President Donald Trump and has claimed the COVID-19 vaccine is not safe and effective, among other controversial views.

Clinical trials have shown COVID-19 vaccines to be safe and effective, “especially against severe illness, hospitalization, and death,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes.

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“The resounding result was, ‘No, we cannot have her in a show. If we go forward with this project, it will not be with her,'” Olsen claimed. “To be honest, those 50 pages were like my greatest hits. I stand by everything I said.”

“I’m like, ‘Wow, I’ve been canceled,'” she added.

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Olsen went on to say that she subsequently had a Zoom meeting with the reboot’s showrunner and producer, who wanted to see if there was a way they could “try to get past CBS” and have her in the show. Olsen characterized this Zoom meeting as an “inquisition,” in which she was questioned about where she stands on “every single issue of the day.”

Ultimately, Olsen said she was told that CBS would not sign off on bringing her back unless she declared that she is “wrong about everything, which was never going to happen.” When her agent later told her there might still be a way to “circumvent” CBS, she said she responded, “No, I’m done. At this point, you’re going to have a woke ‘Brady Bunch,’ and I want no part of it.”

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According to Olsen, a potential “Brady Bunch” reboot is now “dead in the water,” which is why she decided to share her story publicly. She said she initially didn’t speak out because she hoped the reboot might still be able to go forward with the other stars.

After starring as Cindy Brady on the original “Brady Bunch,” Olsen reprised the role on the subsequent series “The Brady Kids,” “The Brady Bunch Hour” and “The Bradys.” She also appeared alongside her former co-stars in the 2019 HGTV reality series “A Very Brady Renovation,” in which the house used for exterior shots on the original “Brady Bunch” was renovated.