“The Walking Dead” star Chandler Riggs is rumored to be leaving the show to attend college, but the young actor’s mother wants fans to know that is not the case.
Gina-Ann Riggs posted a photo on Instagram of a location from the hit AMC series that appears in the opening titles along with Chandler’s name. In the comments section, she addressed a fan’s concern that her son was exiting the show.
“Don’t over analyze. His seven year contract is up. That’s all he was saying, nothing else. Pretty big accomplishment for a child actor (and for the parent who had to quit his job for this child to be able to follow his dream).”
Previously, Chandler’s father William posted a picture of his son with the caption, “Completed 7 years on TWD! #freedom #thewalkingdead.” This came on the heels of Riggs announcing that he had been accepted into Auburn University, which is in Alabama.
While Auburn is not an unreasonable drive to “The Walking Dead’s” shooting locations in Georgia, it would mean Riggs would have to divide his time between his studies and his acting career.
Fans have been worried that Chandler, who plays Carl Grimes, will suffer the same fate as two other main characters in the season premiere. Carl has already clashed with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) twice, and may not survive a third time.