Buffy fans are supporting Charisma Carpenter after her criticism of spin-off show Angel.
The actor, who played Cordelia Chase in both series, shared her view on the spin-off after being tagged into a Twitter post depicting an old photo of actor Matthew Perry and his mother, Suzanne.
The Twiter user drew a comparison between Perry’s mother and Carpenter, writing: “Here we have #MatthewPerry with his mother #CharismaCarpenter.”
Carpenter responded to the tweet, stating: “Just as problematic as Angel season 4. Only this time I gave birth to someone older than me and is some kind of Keanu Reeves-hating demon.”
The actor was referencing two things: one, Perry’s recent comments about the Matrix and John Wick actor Reeves in his memoir.
The Friends star raised eyebrows after repeatedly questioning why other actors die while Reeves is still alive. He later apologised for the comments, saying in a statement: “I’m actually a big fan of Keanu. I just chose a random name, my mistake. I apologise. I should have used my own name instead.”
Carpenter was also referencing a bizarre storyline in the fourth season of Angel, in which she gets pregnant and gives birth to a fully grown woman named Jasmine (Gina Torres), who has the ability to hypnotise anyone she meets.
Angel season four is commonly maligned by fans, who are now feeling vindicated following Carpenter’s tweet.
“Season four did Cordy so dirty!” one fan wrote, with another calling her comment “the HARSHEST burn I’ve ever heard”.
“You were the best part of Angel, god I hated what happened to Cordy towards the end,” one Twitter user said in support of Carpenter, with an additional fan writing: “We don’t talk about Angel season 4.. it doesnt exist to me.”
In 2021, Carpenter detailed several alleged instances in which showrunner Joss Whedon “abused his power” with her throughout her time on both shows, and accused him of “creating hostile and toxic work environments since his early career”.
She also accused Whedon of mistreating her after discovering she was pregnant.
Carpenter previously said of the season to Newsweek: "I wasn’t crazy about Angel season four, but my pregnancy threw things for a loop. They had to quickly shuck-and-jive and put a season together."
Whedon is yet to respond to Carpenter’s allegations.
