‘The Walking Dead’s Michael Cudlitz Shuts Down James Woods Over Sexist “All-Chick Zombie Series” Remark

02/23/2019 06:31 pm EST

The Walking Dead star-turned-director Michael Cudlitz shut down James Woods after the actor called the zombie drama an "all-chick zombie series" and an "estrogen fest."

"Now that @TheWalkingDead has become an all-chick zombie series, you realize they should have spent whatever it took to keep Andrew Lincoln. #EstrogenFest," Woods tweeted of the Rick Grimes star, who exited the series in November.

"Actually, Andrew left to spend time with his kids and family money was not an issue," Cudlitz tweeted Thursday. "You're a terrific actor James and I've admired your talent for years... but sometimes you just talk out of your ass."

Cudlitz added the hashtag "#thinkbeforeyoutweet."

In a subsequent tweet, the former Abraham Ford star clarified his response to Woods, a vehement support of President Donald Trump, is not political.

"That's not what this is about ..... He is a terrific talent," Cudlitz tweeted. "He just said something that isn't true about a situation he knows nothing about."

In another tweet, Cudlitz reaffirmed Lincoln's exit was "never a money issue."

Joshua Mikel, who played Savior Jared, defended The Walking Dead in his own tweet:

"Heaven forbid a show feature women as much as men after decades of TV treating women as glorified props. Proud of what @WalkingDead_AMC manages in diversity & inclusion," Mikel wrote.

"Cool continued attempt at staying relevant [with] saucy tweets tho."

Lincoln famously stepped away from the mothership television series in favor of a Rick Grimes movie trilogy — a move that will allow Lincoln more time with his family who live overseas, far from The Walking Dead's Georgia set.

"I mean, there's only so many sports days you can miss and really call yourself a father, so I think it was time for me to get back for some important days and just be around and have some continuity back home," Lincoln previously told Access.

The Walking Dead tapped longtime writer-producer Angela Kang for showrunner duties heading into its ninth season, which upped the roles of its leading female characters — Danai Gurira's Michonne, Melissa McBride's Carol, and Lauren Cohan's Maggie — ahead of Lincoln's exit.

"I'm proud to be a part of a show that, even the comics that the show is based on, had the story values to put forth incredibly strong, powerful female characters. Michonne is from the comic book, and it can't get stronger than her," Walking Dead chief content officer Scott Gimple previously told Us.

"You're going to see some new characters this season from the comic book, incredibly strong female characters. And to have anything short of that is just to tell a frickin' lame story, and that's been true long before this political moment. When you don't have strong female characters in your stories, you are telling stupid stories."

Gimple added Kang's promotion to showrunner paved the way for The Walking Dead to "tell different stories," including the emergence of comic book villain Alpha (Samantha Morton), leader of the Whisperers.

"I think that The Walking Dead is a place where you can find great female voices, great female artists and stories that honor female characters, not as a novelty but as intrinsic story value," Gimple said.

In addition to its balanced ensemble cast, The Walking Dead has long embraced female talent behind the camera.

Longtime executive producer Gale Anne Hurd recently announced she's among those embracing a new gender-based rebate plan, "10% for 50/50," an initiative offering film and television productions a 10% rebate for demonstrating equality in the work place.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.

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