Days after the shocking news of Kevin Samuels’ death, he made a posthumous appearance in the latest episode of FX Atlanta. The eighth episode of season 3 and fourth anthology entry titled “Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga,” features Samuels taking on the role of philanthropist and businessman Robert Shea Lee. His inclusion was controversial but it was also eerie given the timing of it all.
During a recent interview with Complex, Atlanta writer and producer Stephen Glover revealed that the role was initially intended for Steve Harvey but it fell through. Ultimately, Samuels pulled through to play Robert Shea Lee.
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“I’m a Black man, so to me, Kevin Samuels isn’t that crazy,” Glover said. “He was an old Black man. I think we’ve all met some version of Kevin Samuels before in our lives. We probably have a family member who’s Kevin Samuels.”
Samuels’ presence on social media made him a polarizing figure that was frequently criticized for his treatment and ideologies surrounding women, particularly Black women. Still, the creators of Atlanta were aware of the controversies surrounding Samuels and the criticism they would face with his inclusion in the cast.
“People are getting lazier, so I understand this idea of us putting Kevin Samuels [in an episode] must mean that we hate women, but actually Kevin Samuels did a really good job on this,” Glover continued. “I think as far as the bigger question of us hating women, we definitely don’t.”
The season 3 finale of Atlantadebuts on Thursday night at 10 p.m. Check the trailer out below.