All across America, gladiators will be perched in front of their televisions watching the season 4 premiere of Scandal. But of course there will be one person missing from the show: Columbus Short.
Short, who played Harrison, Olivia Pope’s right-hand man, was fired from the award-winning series at the end of the third season after several run-ins with the law. He confirmed his departure in April:
At this time I must confirm my exit from a show I’ve called home for 3 years, with what is the most talented ensemble on television today," Short said. "I would like to first thank [creator] Shonda Rhimes for the opportunity to work with such an amazing cast. Thank you GLADIATORS, who have supported me throughout my entire career and of course to ABC and Shondaland for allowing me to play such a pivotal role in the Scandal series. I have enjoyed every single minute of it. Everything must come to an end and unfortunately the time has come for Harrison Wright to exit the canvas. I wish nothing but the best for Shonda, Kerry and the rest of the cast, who have become like a second family to me in such a short amount of time. For this, I will forever be grateful.
Well, “Once a gladiator, always a gladiator” is apparently Short’s motto. The actor is hosting a viewing party tonight in honor of the season 4 premiere:
The post reads:
GLADIATORS #standup #ItsGoingDown #Gladiator available tomorrow on #ITUNES and the long awaited premiere of #Scandal @kriskelli @bigblockesc #CoStarz
At the end of last season, Short’s character was held at gunpoint by Papa Pope’s hit man, so maybe this first episode is his farewell performance?