Mighty Morphin Power Rangers alum Amy Jo Johnson -- who portrayed the original Pink Ranger, Kimberly Hart, on the beloved '90s television show -- has explained her absence from Netflix's upcoming 30th anniversary reunion special, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always.
Netflix recently dropped a behind-the-scenes trailer Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, featuring numerous returning stars from the Power Rangers franchise's past. However, Johnson was noticeably absent. Addressing the matter on Twitter, the actor wrote, "For the record I never said no... I just didn't say yes to what was offered. But other fun stuff is in-store! Looking forward to watching my friends kick ass!"
Johnson appears to be pushing back against the narrative that she wasn't interested in returning for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' 30th anniversary celebration. Rather, it seems she was indeed interested in reprising her role as Kimberly, but simply didn't find the terms of the proposed deal to be satisfactory. Even so, Johnson seems to be wishing the best to her former Power Rangers co-stars as they return to the franchise.
Johnson first portrayed Kimberly Hart/the Pink Ranger on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which premiered on Fox Kids in August 1993. She remained a member of the show's main cast through 1995. Johnson also reprised the role in the 1995 feature film Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie before making her final appearance as Kimberly Hart to date in the 1997 film Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie. That said, she did make a cameo as an unnamed resident of Angel Grove in the 2017 Power Rangers reboot film.
Who Is in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always?
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always is slated to premiere on Netflix on April 19. The 30th anniversary special stars David Yost, who reprises his role as Billy Cranston, the original Blue Ranger. Starring opposite Yost is Walter Jones, who reprises his role as the original Black Ranger, Zack Taylor. Additionally, Steve Cardenas reprises his role as the second Red Ranger, Rocky DeSantos​​​​​​​; Johnny Yong Bosch reprises his role as the second Black Ranger, Adam Park​​​​​​​; Karan Ashley​​​​​​​ reprises her role as the second Yellow Ranger, Aisha Campbell​​​​​​​; and Catherine Sutherland reprises her role as the second Pink Ranger, Katherine Hillard.
Once & Always also sees Richard Steven Horvitz reprise his role as the voice of Alpha 5, with Barbara Goodson reprising her role as the voice of Rita Repulsa. What's more, the special stars Charlie Kersh as Minh Kwan​​​​​​​, daughter of the original Yellow Ranger, Trini Kwan. Trini was originally portrayed in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by Thuy Trang, who tragically passed away in 2001 at the age of 27.
The 30th anniversary special will also feature the Green Ranger, though it seems he will not be portrayed by the late Jason David Frank. Frank himself tragically passed away in November 2022 at the age of 49, though Once & Always would have been filmed prior to his death. However, in May 2022, Frank confirmed that he was not involved in any Power Rangers anniversary reunion. "There is no reboot... The rumors are rumors," Frank said. "There's nothing going on. I have not heard... I don't want to cover my tattoos, I'm 49 years old. I've done enough for the Power Rangers brand, I love it. But now with situations that happened, I'm-- there's certain people that won't be in the reunion, if there was, I don't know."
Another Mighty Morphin Power Rangers alum who doesn't appear to be in Once & Always is Austin St. John, who portrayed the original Red Ranger, Jason Lee Scott. St. John's absence from the anniversary special likely stems from the actor's legal troubles. In May 2022, St. John was indicted on federal fraud charges over his alleged exploitation of the CARES Act. St. John's probation bars him from leaving his home state of Texas, though he was granted permission to travel the country under legal supervision for work. Even so, he was not featured in the first look at Once & Always.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always premieres April 19 on Netflix.
Source: Twitter