With the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always reunion special coming close to its official release date, more information about Amy Jo Johnson’s absence has been revealed, and it’s not because of an undisclosed pay dispute.
Back in January 2023, Johnson revealed that she didn’t respond to Netflix and Hasbro’s offer over whether she wanted to come back to the anniversary special. This led to assumptions that she chose not to return due to money. Fortunately, the former Power Rangers star has cleared up the rumors about her absence.
Johnson clarified on Twitter that the reason why she didn’t want to appear in Once & Always is not because of money. It’s because she either didn’t want to wear the old iconic spandex or just wasn’t able to travel to New Zealand. She also revealed that now-deceased fellow star Jason David Frank also declined the offer due to personal reasons before he passed away.
In other words, it’s not because of money that both actors won’t appear in the Power Rangers anniversary special.
Luckily for Johnson, the news didn’t dishearten her followers. After all, according to Power Rangers canon, Kimberly (Johnson’s character in the show) gave up her Power Ranger powers and passed them down to Kat, played by Catherine Sutherland, who will also make an appearance in the reunion special. So it made some sense why Kat would return and not Kimberly.
While Johnson confirmed her absence from the anniversary special, the actress has wished her friends luck and looks forward to seeing them kick butt one more time.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, will be released on Netflix on April 19, 2023.