Despite the perception of racial insensitivity in his casting, Walter Emanuel Jones is proud to have originated the role of the Black Ranger.
The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers alum recently responded to the show’s head writer Tony Oliver, who said “it was such a mistake” to cast Black and Asian actors as the Black and Yellow Rangers while reflecting on the hit franchise in an episode of Investigation Discovery‘s Hollywood Demons.
“Incredible how many media outlets picked this up…” wrote Jones on Instagram with headlines about Oliver’s quote. “However while some choose to seek out the negative, I’ve always believed in focusing on the positive. I understand the impulse to address what might be seen as cultural insensitivity, but calling it a ‘mistake’ would dismiss the impact it had on countless people around the world who found inspiration and representation in TV’s first Black superhero — morphin’ into none other than the Black Power Ranger! It wasn’t a mistake; it was a milestone. It was an honor.”
In a podcast appearance Jones shared in the post, he recalled, “The idea of me being in a black suit never bothered me. In fact, I was happy about it when I first saw the suit. I thought I looked cool as well … the black was what I wanted to wear.”
Still, Jones noted it “was a little odd” to cast Asian actress Thuy Trang as Trini Kwan, the new Yellow Ranger, replacing Audri Dubois from the pilot.
David Yost, Thuy Trang, Jason David Frank, Austin St. John, Amy Jo Johnson and Walter Jones in ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers‘ (1993-’96)
Oliver previously commented on the long-held criticism around the casting, explaining on the ID docuseries, “None of us are thinking stereotypes. … It was such a mistake.”
Jones starred in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for the first two seasons from 1993 to 1994, before Johnny Yong Bosch took over the Black Ranger suit as Adam Park. In 2023, Jones reprised the role for the 30th anniversary film Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always.
