Lamorne Morris says Jake Johnson won’t join New Girl reunion

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• 🔥 Quick Facts
• The Prank War Intensifies: A Seven-Season Friendship Dynamic
• Jake Johnson’s SXSW Interview: Setting Up the Narrative
• Morris’s Counter-Strike: Turning the Tables with Humor
• The Reality Behind the Rhetoric
• What This Means for Actual Reunion Prospects
• Why These Two Keep the Conversation Alive?
• What Would a Full Reunion Actually Look Like?
  • Sources

Lamorne Morris has fired back at co-star Jake Johnson over mounting speculation about a New Girl reunion, turning the conversation into an ongoing prank war between the two actors. On May 18, 2026, Morris appeared on Entertainment Weekly to deliver his response to Johnson’s March remarks at SXSW, when Johnson jokingly claimed Morris was the only cast member refusing to participate in a full-cast revival. This back-and-forth captures the real dynamic between the two collaborators who spent seven seasons playing childhood friends Nick Miller and Winston Bishop on the beloved comedy series.

The Prank War Intensifies: A Seven-Season Friendship Dynamic

Lamorne Morris and Jake Johnson shared an iconic on-screen partnership as Nick Miller and Winston Bishop throughout New Girl’s seven-season run from 2011 to 2018. The two actors developed genuine chemistry that translated into real-world friendship, making their recent back-and-forth feel entirely authentic to fans familiar with their long collaborative history. Morris’s 2025 Emmy win for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series—his first-ever Emmy recognition—marked a significant professional achievement that Johnson immediately seized upon as comedic fodder.

The stakes of this friendly feud are rooted in genuine professional success. Morris spent years building credibility across multiple genres before his Fargo breakthrough, while Johnson has remained active in television and film projects. Both actors understand the value of maintaining public interest in New Girl nostalgia without committing to actual project timelines.

Jake Johnson’s SXSW Interview: Setting Up the Narrative

During his appearance at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 13, 2026, Jake Johnson was promoting his latest project when he revealed details about New Girl reunion discussions. According to reports in Deadline and Fox 7 Austin, Johnson stated that “we’re all in besides Lamorne.” He attributed Morris’s reluctance directly to his recent Emmy achievement, joking that the award “went to his head” and “changed” his co-star. Johnson went further, jokingly instructing New Girl fans to contact Morris on social media, claiming Morris “doesn’t like the fans“—a clear comedic exaggeration designed to stoke fan engagement.

The timing was strategic. Johnson framed himself as the willing participant while positioning Morris as the reluctant holdout, creating a narrative that invited fan reaction and media coverage. This version of events circulated widely across entertainment news outlets and social platforms throughout March and April 2026.

Morris’s Counter-Strike: Turning the Tables with Humor

More than two months later, Morris returned fire. In his May 18, 2026 Entertainment Weekly interview, Morris completely flipped the script by claiming that Jake Johnson was the one preventing the reunion from happening. According to EW‘s coverage, Morris performed an elaborate Donald Trump impression while explaining his position, adding theatrical flair to his rebuttal. Morris essentially told Johnson the fans wanted the reunion and that Johnson “doesn’t like the fans“—using Johnson’s own words against him.

This move demonstrated several layers of strategy: Morris acknowledged the fan interest legitimately, but refused to accept blame while maintaining the playful tone. The Trump impression also served as a clear signal that Morris was delivering entertainment rather than a serious accusation. The response kept the conversation circulating across social media and entertainment news for another cycle.

The Reality Behind the Rhetoric

Element	Verified Status
Formal Revival Project	No official announcement from networks or services
Cast Interest	Multiple cast members have expressed openness in interviews
Previous Reunion	Cast briefly reunited for 2020 voter turnout PSA
Producer/Network Involvement	No statements or commitments made public
Scheduling Challenges	All cast members actively working on other projects

“We’re all in besides Lamorne. The Emmy went to his head, I’m going to say that really clearly. It changed you, my man. All the fans want it too, write to Lamorne on Instagram, because he doesn’t want it. He doesn’t like the fans.”

— Jake Johnson, Actor (New Girl), speaking at SXSW, March 14, 2026

What This Means for Actual Reunion Prospects

The absence of any official studio announcement is the critical detail in this narrative. While Jake Johnson and Lamorne Morris trade public barbs, no network or streaming service has greenlit a formal New Girl revival. Zooey Deschanel, Max Greenfield, and the rest of the original ensemble cast remain focused on individual projects with no coordinated revival in development. The actors’ playful commentary represents fan service rather than actual project progress. The 2020 voter turnout PSA reunion was a brief, one-off appearance—not an indication of sustained project momentum.

Industry observers note that successful television reunions typically require months of upfront negotiation, script development, and scheduling coordination. The current Morris-Johnson dynamic, while entertaining, exists in an entertainment vacuum absent concrete studio infrastructure or creative partnerships.

Why These Two Keep the Conversation Alive?

Lamorne Morris and Jake Johnson clearly understand the value of maintaining New Girl relevance in an era of television revivals and nostalgia-driven content. The show concluded eight years ago, yet continues to attract new viewers on streaming platforms and dedicated fan communities online. By engaging in public banter over reunion possibilities, both actors extend the show’s cultural conversation and demonstrate their own continued interest—without making binding commitments to networks or producers. This strategy keeps audience engagement high while preserving flexibility for both stars’ future project schedules.

The prank war also reinforces what fans appreciate most about these actors: their genuine chemistry and ability to find humor in professional situations. The back-and-forth feels authentic because it reflects an actual friendship tested across seven seasons of collaboration.

What Would a Full Reunion Actually Look Like?

A genuine New Girl revival would need more than actor interest or fan demand. Producers would need to secure Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Lamorne Morris, Max Greenfield, Hannah Simone, and creator Elizabeth Meriwether—all of whom have competing professional obligations. Deschanel has committed to other projects; Johnson is developing new television work; Morris is building momentum in prestige drama following his Emmy success. Any credible revival would require substantial financial offers and schedule coordination across multiple A-list careers. Until a network or streaming service makes such a commitment public, discussions remain speculative entertainment.

Sources

• Entertainment Weekly (May 18, 2026) – Lamorne Morris’s recent interview addressing Jake Johnson’s reunion rhetoric and Emmy acknowledgment.
• Deadline (March 14, 2026) – Coverage of Jake Johnson’s SXSW remarks about New Girl reunion possibilities.
• Fox 7 Austin (March 13, 2026) – On-the-ground reporting from SXSW where Johnson made his initial statements.
• The Today Show / TODAY.com – Lamorne Morris’s follow-up appearance discussing the reunion timeline.
• Variety & Variety Intelligence – Historical context on New Girl’s syndication and streaming audience metrics.