Disney XD actor exits Broadway's 'Hadestown' after resurfaced comments against transgender ideology

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, August 04, 2026

Disney XD actor Geno Segers will no longer make his Broadway debut in the Tony-winning musical “Hadestown” after resurfaced videos of the actor criticizing gender ideology and saying trans-identified individuals are not oppressed sparked online backlash.

Segers, 49, was set to play Hades in the Broadway musical and begin performing on Sept. 1, according to a statement last week announcing the show’s principal cast. The actor’s previous credits include Mason Makoola in the Disney XD series “Pair of Kings” and Mufasa in Disney's Australian stage production and North American tour of “The Lion King.”

Days after the announcement that Segers had joined the cast, a representative told People magazine on Sunday that producers and Segers have “mutually agreed” he would “no longer join” the production.

The press team for the “Hadestown” Broadway show did not immediately respond to The Christian Post’s request for comment. This article will be updated if a response is received.

While no one clarified why Segers left the cast, his departure follows controversy over his past comments. The theatre publication OnStage Blog highlighted some of Segers’ remarks last week in an article titled, “Can Hadestown’s Inclusive Reputation Survive Casting Geno Segers?”

According to OnStage Blog, Segers has regularly posted content critical of allowing men who identify as the opposite sex to compete in women’s sports. The publication questioned how his views may impact the cast, which has a history of employing actors who identify as trans or nonbinary.

Segers’ YouTube channel reportedly contained videos titled “TRANS FAIRNESS?,” “HE … I MEAN SHE, BROKE THE RECORD” and “NO MORE TRANS?” but the videos appear to have been deleted.

The publication also pointed to a now-deleted video of the actor from 2024, in which Segers states, “Now, you say ‘trans rights are human rights, then that puts you in the group with all the other humans.”

“With the exception of people who don’t believe they’re human,” he added. “Oh, that’s a thing! I didn’t believe it either, but that is a thing.”

In the resurfaced video clip, Segers reflected on a scenario involving a woman boarding an airplane accompanied by her husband who identifies as a canine. The actor then pondered whether the husband identifying as a dog would receive a discount if he’s supposedly a service animal.

“Service animals get a different price,” Segers stated. “No, I’m not being funny — seriously! A service animal gets a different price. So, if I identify as canine, can I get a discount on this ticket?”

Segers claimed that the airline likely wouldn’t want to be on the “wrong side of political correctness,” making the air quotes gesture in the video.

“All I’m saying is I’m not against anyone living out their lives the way they want. But I am against their rights superseding the rights of other people,” he said.

Segers acknowledged the criticism he would likely receive for his remarks from LGBT activists, anticipating that they would argue that trans-identifying people are “‘tired of being hunted.’”

“‘They’re tired of being oppressed and persecuted.’ I’m sorry, but I don’t see that,” the “Pair of Kings” actor asserted. “I don’t see that. I don’t see transgender people becoming oppressed or being oppressed.”

In addition to deleting the videos, People magazine and Variety reported this week that Segers has made his social media private.

“Hadestown" was written by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell. It is a reimagining of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice that blends folk and jazz music to tell the story of the doomed lovers, as well as the myth of Hades and Persephone.

The musical began its Broadway run in 2019 and later opened on the West End in 2024.