13 Reasons Why’s Dylan Minnette divides fans with “tone deaf” reason for quitting acting

Dylan Minnette has been out of the acting spotlight for some time, but his reason for stepping back has rubbed some people the wrong way.

Minnette is known for his performances in the likes of 13 Reasons Why, Don’t Breathe, The Open House, and Goosebumps. His latest was as Wes Hicks in the 2022 Scream movie.

On the Zach Sang Show on YouTube, he explained why he gave up acting, despite growing in popularity among fans.

“I was very fortunate to find success in it but it also started to feel like a bit of a job. I feel like Wallows and music is this passion we’ve always had as a group to really take all the way. I was like, ‘I feel like I’m in a position now where I can just do that for a while and get this the farthest it can be. And the only way that’s gonna happen is if I put my 100% time and energy into it,’” he explained.

“I’m just following what feels natural and inspiring at the time, and I’m very obviously incredibly privileged and lucky to be in a position where it’s like, ‘This starts to feel like a job, so I’m gonna do this now and this will be my job.’ It’s insane but it’s working out that way and I’m just following what feels inspiring.”

Besides having been an actor, Minnette is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the American alternative rock band Wallows.

But despite explaining why he gave up acting, fans were less than enthused. Many believed it was “tone deaf” of him.

“I get what he’s trying to say but this feels a little tone deaf considering how lucky he is do to what he does for a living while others work 9-5s to make a living,” said one fan on X/Twitter.

Another commented, “I wish I could quit my job bc it’s feeling like a job fr,” and one echoed a similar sentiment saying, “He should’ve said this during the strike to all those people who need this job for their livelihood.”

But others have come to Minnette’s defence, believing this was a valid reason and he has every right to pursue passions outside of acting.

“Acting is a job but to most celebrities, they see it as a ‘passion’ because it’s not just a regular job. when you have to work 15+ hours day and night it can be exhausting and, like, ‘eh’. He went to music because it feels more fun and not exhausting. That was his whole point..” said one fan.

One fan understood Minnette’s reasoning and said, “In my perspective, he treated acting as a side hustle, something he wanted to try out. He didn’t want acting to feel like a job because he is focused on his music career.”

Who knows if Minnette will ever return to acting, but until then you can catch up on new TV shows streaming this month and new movies to watch.