Original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers star Walter Emanuel Jones is speaking out after recent headlines reignited a decades-old conversation about race and representation within one of the most iconic children’s shows of the 1990s.
In the newly released ID documentary series Hollywood Demons, Power Rangers head writer Tony Oliver reflected on the early days of casting for the show, controversially calling it “a mistake” to cast a Black actor (Jones) as the Black Ranger and an Asian actor (the late Thuy Trang) as the Yellow Ranger.
Oliver clarified that the original intent was never to reinforce cultural stereotypes, and the implications weren’t realized until after casting decisions had already been made. “None of us are thinking stereotypes,” Oliver said. Also sharing that it was his assistant who pointed it out in a meeting one day.
But Jones, who played the beloved Zack Taylor — the original Black Ranger — isn’t here for the rewriting of history. In a statement shared on Instagram, he pushed back on the notion that his casting was anything less than groundbreaking.
“I’ve always believed in focusing on the positive,” Jones wrote. “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.”
Premiering in 1993, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers was a phenomenon that shaped childhoods across the globe. With its unique blend of martial arts, monsters, and moral lessons, the series introduced a racially diverse cast at a time when such representation was still rare in mainstream American television.
Jones, who has frequently spoken with pride about his role on the show, reiterated his thoughts in a recent podcast interview.
“The idea of me being in the black suit never bothered me,” he said. “People tried to make [our roles] into something that was prejudice. I think what happened was as kids got older, they went, ‘Hey, that’s a funny thing,’ and they turned it into something that was never meant to be.”
The actor acknowledged that the casting of Thuy Trang — a Vietnamese-American actress — as the Yellow Ranger after the departure of Audri Dubois was “a little odd” in hindsight. Still, he emphasized that neither he nor Trang were cast with any malicious intent in mind.
“When Thuy Trang came in, it was like she was an Asian girl in the yellow suit. That’s a little odd,” he admitted. “But we were just trying to do something cool — we were superheroes.”
Nearly three decades later, Walter Emanuel Jones is still celebrated for his role, not just for his skills on screen, but for what he represents off it: inclusion, pride, and the power of positive legacy.
“It wasn’t a mistake,” Jones emphasized again. “It was a milestone.”
Photo Credit: Instagram – WalterEJones
