"It was an honor"— Power Rangers star Walter Jones responds to writer saying they made "a mistake" casting Black and Yellow Rangers

Walter Jones, best known as the original Black Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, is speaking out after the show's head writer, Tony Oliver, called the casting of Black and Asian actors in the Black and Yellow Ranger suits a "mistake." On April 9, 2025, Jones took to Instagram to respond to the growing media conversation around the issue, defending the positive impact of his role on fans worldwide.

"Incredible how many media outlets picked this up… However while some choose to seek out the negative, 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."

His remarks came shortly after Oliver's interview in Investigation Discovery's docuseries Hollywood Demons, which aired its Dark Side of the Power Rangers episode on April 7, 2025.

"It was my assistant who pointed it out in a meeting one day, that we had made the Black character the Black Ranger and the Asian character the Yellow Ranger. It was such a mistake," Oliver said.

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Walter Jones defends his iconic role as Zack Taylor

During the interview, Tony Oliver expressed that these decisions were unintentional while stressing the lack of stereotypes in their mindset during the selection process. According to Tony Oliver, Thuy Trang auditioned for the role of Trini Kwan, but the Yellow Ranger position initially went to Audri DuBois before she stepped away from the show, as reported by Deadline.

The casting decisions that occurred unintentionally have received persistent criticism due to their perceived offensive racial treatment. Oliver admitted the choices were not deliberate, but he now understands the implications they held.

However, Walter Jones is pushing back against the notion that his role was a misstep. In the Instagram post, he also linked to his appearance on The Jim Cummings Podcast, where he elaborated on his views and the importance of representation.

Behind-the-scenes footage from 1993—shown in Hollywood Demons—revealed that the cast was aware of the optics at the time.

"My name's Walter Jones, I play Zack. I'm Black, and I play the Black Ranger. Go figure," he shared.

Walter Jones said in a tongue-in-cheek moment during a production clip. His co-star Amy Jo Johnson, who played the Pink Ranger, reflected on the moment in a 2013 Entertainment Weekly oral history, saying, "He used to crack good-humored jokes about that."

Though the show premiered over three decades ago, its legacy continues to generate discussions about race and representation in children's media. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series, which debuted on Fox Kids in 1993, became a cultural phenomenon. Both Jones and Trang exited the show in 1994 during its second season amid reported contract disputes.

As for Walter Jones, he's choosing to embrace the legacy of his role. "It wasn't a mistake; it was a milestone," he emphasized again. Beyond Power Rangers, he’s appeared in The Shield, Bringing Down the House, and voiced characters in Naruto.