Come From Away’s Chad Kimball Sues Producers Over Termination

Tony-nominated Broadway performer Chad Kimball is suing Broadway show Come From Away, claiming he was fired for his religious beliefs.

Page Six obtained a lawsuit where Kimball, who previously starred in Come From Away prior to Broadway’s shutdown, claims that the production “unlawfully terminated [him] wholly or partly because [his] religious beliefs simply made them uncomfortable.”

In the court documents, Kimball describes himself as “a devout and practicing Christian.”

Kimball, who contracted COVID-19 in spring 2020 and made a full recovery, caused a stir in the theatrical community in November 2020 when he, in response to Washington state’s (where he was staying during the shutdown) Covid guidelines, tweeted that he intended on not following those guidelines.

Specifically referencing religious service guidelines saying that congregation members would be required to wear facial coverings and not be allowed to sing, Kimball tweeted at the time, “Respectfully, I will never allow a Governor, or anyone, to stop me from SINGING, let alone sing in worship to my God. Folks, absolute POWER corrupts ABSOLUTELY. This is not about safety. It’s about POWER. I will respectfully disobey these unlawful orders. #inslee #Tyranny #truth”

He later tweeted a clarification. “To be clear: nobody is going maskless. The overreach – in my opinion! – is not being able to sing even WITH a mask. No singing WITH a mask ON. Everyone will continue wearing masks. With respect and with hope and with care.”

Kimball’s tweets were controversial within the theatre community, with many Broadway actors responding negatively.

In the lawsuit, Kimball alleges that the November tweet played a part in his not being asked to return to Come From Away. He claims that on January 18, a producer contacted him to say that there was a question about his “Conservative Christian” beliefs and a conversation around his “freedom to believe” in his beliefs. The producer allegedly ended the conversation encouraging a reconciliation, but Kimball says that on January 22, he was informed he would not return to the production.

He claims that he was told that the “Come From Away production needed to focus on bringing the show back together and ensure people’s safety.”

This presumably refers to Broadway’s strong Covid guidelines for both audience members and theatre workers. Actors’ Equity requires all members to be fully vaccinated.

In the suit, Kimball’s lawyer says that “As a result of his termination as a result of faith, [he] felt extremely humiliated, degraded, victimized, embarrassed, emotionally distressed, extremely distraught and intimidated.”

He adds that Kimball was “made to suffer significant economic and professional harm, in addition to emotional and physical pain and suffering, economic loss; physical and emotion stress; and, in some instances severe emotional trauma, depression, illness, hopelessness and anxiety, loss of confidence, self-esteem and self-worth, and other irreparable harm resulting from the strain of employment controversies caused by Defendants and/or Defendants’ agents and/or employees.”

Kimball is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, lost wages and attorneys’ fees and costs.

Come From Away’s producers declined to comment to Page Six.