Actor Rockmond Dunbar, best known for portraying Kenny Chadway in Showtime’s series adaptation of the classic film Soul Food, has lost his federal lawsuit against Disney-owned 20th Century Television. Filed in response to Disney’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees on its productions — including the Angela Bassett-led hit series 9-1-1 — Dunbar’s suit claimed the requirement violated his religious beliefs. A federal judge ruled against him on Oct. 17.
However, as Variety reported, Dunbar did not receive support from the Congregation of Universal Wisdom once they discovered that Dunbar’s argument had little to do with their beliefs, which eschew vaccines and other medical advancements. His argument, to them, appeared to only be against the COVID-19 vaccine in particular, which the group described as “sacrilegious” in court documents procured by the outlet.
Dunbar argued in court that, “Man created the COVID-19 vaccine to separate you from God. This is a spiritual war. This is a war of evil against good. I stood on the side of good. I stood on the side of God. I stood on the shoulders of God.”
Dunbar maintained during his testimony that although he takes synthetic testosterone injections and anastrozole, this simply makes him far from “perfect,” and not the hypocrite that the church appears to have cast him as.
Dunbar continued, noting that his work on the show was his “dream job. It was like winning the lottery. I’m underwater. I’ve spent my entire retirement. This has taken my life into a hole financially that I will never be able to get out of.”
He maintained to the jury that he is not an anti-vaxxer, despite his regurgitation of conspiracy theories that the COVID-19 vaccine has killed more people than the actual virus; he believes his ordeal is a spiritual test from God.
“Take my cars, my money — I don’t care. You have to leave here with your soul intact,” he told the court. “This is my spiritual test and I passed.”
In contrast to Dunbar’s claims, The Economist estimated in a 2022 report that because of the way death totals regarding the pandemic were calculated, any death tolls are likely a conservative figure; still, they noted that in North America alone, which includes the United States, more than 1.2 million people are estimated to have died from COVID-19.
For Dunbar’s scientific assertion to be correct, there would have to be a significantly higher death toll. As of May 2025, USA Facts estimates that 230,637,348 Americans, or 70% of the population, are considered fully vaccinated
against the COVID-19 virus.Dunbar, however, still appears to be firmly entrenched in his religious beliefs, which even his lawyer, Scott Street, referred to as “kooky” while defending his client. Outside the courtroom, Dunbar was unwavering, noting to reporters his belief that “God still won today.”
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