John Amos’ Explosive Confession – The Brutal Firing From ‘Good Times’ He Could Never Get Over!

The late John Amos, best known for his unforgettable role in Roots, carried a deep regret for the rest of his life—one that he never truly recovered from. Despite his long and celebrated career, the bitter memory of being abruptly fired from the beloved sitcom Good Times haunted him until the very end.

Amos, who passed away at 84 on August 21 at his Los Angeles home, was never able to fully let go of the pain caused by his dismissal from the show that had skyrocketed him to fame. According to a close friend, the firing “stung him to his last day,” an experience that seemed to weigh heavily on his spirit. “He tried to make the show better, more realistic, but his suggestions fell on deaf ears, and they threw him out on his butt despite the fact that he’d helped make it one of the highest-rated shows on television!” shared the insider.

Before his breakout in television, Amos had an entirely different career path. He was a former college football player who had tryouts with the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs. However, his charm and talent found a home on TV screens, where he first gained recognition as Gordy Howard, the friendly weatherman on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. But it was his portrayal of James Evans Sr. on Good Times that truly turned him into a household name.

Good Times, which aired on CBS from 1974 to 1979, followed the struggles and triumphs of a working-class African-American family living in a Chicago housing project. Amos played the strong, no-nonsense father figure alongside Esther Rolle, who portrayed his wife, Florida. The chemistry between the two actors resonated deeply with viewers, and their on-screen relationship became one of the show’s defining features.

However, behind the scenes, things weren’t as smooth. According to reports, both Amos and Rolle grew increasingly dissatisfied with the direction the show was taking, particularly when the character of Jimmie Walker, who played their son J.J., began to overshadow their more serious roles. Walker’s character, known for his goofy antics and catchphrase “Dy-no-mite!” became the comedic focal point, which Amos and Rolle felt undermined the realistic portrayal of the family’s struggles.

The tension reached a boiling point in 1976, after the third season. Amos’ disagreements with the white writing staff and producers of the show became increasingly confrontational, and in the end, he was fired. His character was written out of the show, killed off in a car accident. Reflecting on the situation, one insider explained, “He’d become very confrontational with the show’s white writing staff and producers. Some words were said that he’d wished he could take back. While he was proud of standing his ground, he wished he could have changed things.”

Amos’ exit from Good Times marked the end of an era for the show, but it also left a scar on his career that never fully healed. Though he went on to achieve other successes in television and film—most notably his Emmy-nominated performance in Roots—the sting of being let go from Good Times seemed to linger. As the insider noted, “He tried to make the show better… and they threw him out.”

In later years, Jimmie Walker would write about the conflicts in his 2012 memoir, Dynomite! Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times, where he noted that the criticism from Amos and Rolle damaged his appeal in the Black community. Walker wrote, “The fact is that Esther’s criticism, and also that of John and others—some of it very pointed and personal—seriously damaged my appeal in the Black community.”

For Amos, the regret of how things ended on Good Times remained with him for the rest of his life. While he took pride in standing up for his beliefs, the emotional toll of the conflict and its aftermath was something he never truly overcame.

John Amos will forever be remembered as a talented actor who brought strength, heart, and authenticity to every role he played. But behind that talent was a man who carried a burden, one he could never quite set down.