BANG Showbiz English
Drake took legal action because he was unhappy his ‘Degrassi: The Next Generation’ character was in a wheelchair.
The 34-year-old star – who worked under his real name of Aubrey Graham during his eight-season stint on the show – was frustrated at being confined to the mobility device after his alter ego, Jimmy Brooks, was left paralysed after being shot during a fourth season episode titled ‘Time Stands Still’, so his team shocked producers by issuing an ultimatum.
Writer James Hurst recalled to The AV Club: “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.
“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?’”
Drake admitted to the writer his musician friends said the character was bad for his image, but after James explained what a positive impact the storyline had for some viewers, he understood their point of view.
The writer continued: “He’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.’
It was all smoothed out in the end, and the actor stayed on the show until the eighth season.
“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.'”
Drake was on the show from the beginning in 2001 until 2008.
Stefan Brogren, who played Archie ‘Snake’ Simpson and directed 51 episodes of the show recalled how a compromise was reached to “get [Jimmy] out” of the wheelchair.
He said: “There was always a conversation, ‘Is there a surgery that Jimmy can have? Can we somehow get him out of this?’ The idea was played with a lot.
“In the end, we started having him getting up on his feet and walking with crutches.”
LINK LOVE
 |  |  |
| People Think Anne Hathaway May Have Gotten Some Cosmetic Work on Her Face (Celebitchy) | OMG, He’s Naked: Jacob Elordi in ‘Oh, Canada’ (omg blog) | ‘SNL’ Alum Bill Hader Set to Drink the Kool-Aid (Pajiba) |
 |  |  |
| The Widow Longoria Returns (Go Fug Yourself) | Walton Goggins Covers CULTURED (Boy Culture) | Sam Nivola Covers VMAN (Kenneth in the 212) |
HOT DEALS
- Save 30% on Tony’s Chocolonely Chocolate Bar Variety Pack – Milk, Dark, Nougat, Caramel, Hazelnut, Almond & Sea Salt – 6 Individually Packed Bars! THis is Socialite Life’s FAVORITE chocolate. [Amazon]
- Save $15 on the Ninja 12-Cup Stainless Steel Coffee Maker. With 2 brew styles: Classic or Rich, each brew is flavorful and never bitter with custom brew strengths. [Walmart]
- Save $95 on the Arc’teryx women’s Thorium Hoody. Made for cold, dry conditions, this Arc’teryx hoodie delivers serious warmth. A combo of 750-fill-power grey goose down and synthetic Coreloft™ keeps you cozy and dry. [REI]
- Save 30% (using the FRIEND promo code) on the Fiesta Classic Rim 12 Pc. Dinnerware Set, Service For 4. [Macy’s]
- Save 30% on the JBL Go 4 Portable, Waterproof and Dustproof Bluetooth Speaker, Big Pro Sound with Punchy bass, 7-Hour Built-in Battery, Made in Part with Recycled Materials (Black). [Woot]
- Save 20% on the Silicone Luggage Tag with name ID card. Perfect to quickly spot your luggage! [Amazon]
- Save $100 on the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra Upright Vacuum. The best cleaning performance of any upright detangling vacuum.1 The Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra deep cleans your whole home- and your pet. The vacuum tackles tough tasks easily, making it ideal for pet owners and parents. [Target]
- A Roku 65-inch TV for under $300 — onn. 65” Class 4K UHD (2160P) LED Roku Smart Television HDR. Roku Smart TV – wirelessly stream 500,000+ movies and TV episodes available across thousands of free or paid channels, conveniently presented through your own customizable home screen. [Walmart]
Like most websites, Socialite Life uses affiliate links where available, which means we earn a little commission if you click through and buy something. Also, as Amazon Influencers, we earn from qualifying purchases. Savings shown are those from the date and time of this article’s publication.
