In Season 4 of Sanford and Son, filming was abruptly halted when Redd Foxx didn’t arrive on set—without warning, and without explanation.
The reason? He had read the script and refused to say the lines.
The episode centered around Fred Sanford pretending to be ill to scam a government check—a storyline Foxx found not just repetitive, but insulting. “They’re making Fred look like a clown,” he reportedly told a friend. “And I’m not your clown.”
He stayed home that day, sparking panic among producers. With a live audience waiting and money on the line, NBC considered bringing in Whitman Mayo (Grady) as a substitute.
Foxx eventually returned a week later—but only after the writers completely rewrote the episode to center on Fred’s integrity instead of deceit.
It wasn’t the first time Foxx clashed with writers, but it was the only time he shut down an entire shoot with a single silent protest. “He didn’t scream,” said one producer. “He just didn’t show up. And that said more than words ever could.”
