Why Rockmond Dunbar's Michael Grant Left 9-1-1

As seen in many of its best episodes, "9-1-1" thrives on being unexpected. From the get-go, the crime procedural, from co-creators Ryan Murphy, Tim Minear, and Brad Falchuk, has been as much a week-to-week exploration of what it's like to be a first responder to emergencies in Los Angeles as it is about the wild and woolly personal lives of these people. One of the show's stalwart heroes is LAPD officer Athena Grant (played by the majestic Angela Bassett), first glimpsed as the wife of Michael Grant (Rockmond Dunbar) and mother to May and Harry (Corinne Massiah and Marcanthonee Jon Reis, respectively). In the series pilot, as much as Athena is capable and sure-handed when wearing the shield and weapon of an LAPD officer, we learn her personal life is messy when Michael reveals to their kids that while they're married, he's gay. That decision would lead to Athena getting divorced, even though Michael stayed close to the family.

In fact, Michael Grant was a longtime part of "9-1-1" despite not being a first responder himself. And yet, few network procedurals are immune to the departure of regular characters, and "9-1-1" is no exception. In the middle of the show's fifth season, Michael abruptly left to move to Haiti with his partner, to whom he was now engaged. The fact that this departure happened midway through the season, instead of at its conclusion, may make some viewers think it wasn't entirely planned. And as it turns out, those viewers would be right. When Rockmond Dunbar left "9-1-1" in the middle of season 5, he did so for religious and medical reasons, the latter related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Let's dig into what caused him to leave this big-deal series, and the legal fallout of his departure.

By the fall of 2021, the COVID-19 vaccine was in high demand to ensure that people could go back to living some semblance of their normal daily lives after so many months under quarantine. Naturally, the world of television, which requires large groups of people behind and in front of the camera to be in fairly close proximity to each other, was one that desperately needed the vaccine ... and more importantly, actors and crew members who were willing to get vaccinated. Rockmond Dunbar was among the unwilling, and although he attempted to pursue exemptions for both medical and religious reasons, the Walt Disney Company (which produces and distributes "9-1-1") chose to deny him these exemptions. (Notably, he wasn't the only Disney actor pushing back; don't forget Letitia Wright of the "Black Panther" films and her vaccination refusal.) Thus, Michael Grant found his way to Haiti, and the character hasn't been heard of since his departure in the waning days of 2021.

This is no rank speculation, either. As Dunbar's own statement, shared at the time with Deadline, made clear, "I applied for religious and medical accommodations pursuant to the law and unfortunately was denied by my employer." Interestingly, the outlet noted that Dunbar was not perceived, at the time, as being a strident anti-vaxxer. The issue did get more complicated a few months later, when Dunbar sued Disney and accused the company of racial discrimination, alleging that non-Black actors on the show were given vaccine exemptions, but that he was not. Though his medical disability was never clarified, his lawsuit alleged that because of the religion he followed, the Church of Universal Wisdom, he should be able to receive the exemption Disney refused to give him. 

As of early 2025, Dunbar's lawsuit may yet go to trial based on just one claim: Whether or not Disney violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by refusing the religious exemption. Dunbar has since appeared in a scattered number of films and TV shows, including the recent Tyler Perry film "Straw," but it's easy to wonder what impact this case has had on his career.

While it is undeniably true that Michael Grant left "9-1-1" in an unexpected and very quick way, it's kind of hard to argue that his departure serves as a great loss. The fact that Michael wasn't a first-responder caused conflicts between him and Athena, as well as her new husband, Bobby Nash (Peter Krause), who himself was killed off in season 8. Michael admired and respected the work that these folks did, but also couldn't help but be terrified at the danger they found themselves in on a daily basis. It's not that this reaction is unbelievable or unwarranted, but it often felt like one of the only notes that the writers could have Michael play week in and week out. "9-1-1" did not, obviously, attempt to create a new character who would essentially replace Michael's spot on the show, but by removing him, the series wound up not losing that much creatively.

It's technically true that because Michael is still alive and kicking, and because "9-1-1" is a delightfully unhinged show, we could always see his return. But considering the open state of the lawsuit that Rockmond Dunbar levied at the Walt Disney Company, specifically surrounding his being removed from the series, it's a lot more likely that Michael Grant is one of those characters we're all but certain to never hear from again. That's despite the fact that Athena lost Bobby to an illness and would no doubt want a shoulder to cry on for the foreseeable future. Michael Grant arrived on this show in an unexpected fashion, and he left similarly; it feels fitting that "9-1-1" was able to pull that off as well as the show could.