Entertainment- Though Rick raised Judith (
Cailey Fleming ) on "TWD," she's biologically his best friend's daughter. - Fleming told Insider if Judith learned Shane was her biological dad, it wouldn't change anything.
- She said Rick's "her daddy," in every sense of the word.
If Judith ever learned that Rick (Andrew Lincoln) wasn't her biological father on "TWD" it wouldn't matter, Cailey Fleming tells Insider.
"I do not think it would change anything except for the fact that she knew," Fleming, who has played Judith Grimes on the
"Rick is her dad," said Fleming, in every sense of the word. "He raised her, she grew up with him, and I definitely don't think it would change anything. That's her daddy."
On season seven, episode four of "TWD," Rick shockingly revealed to his partner, Michonne (Danai Gurira), that he knew that the daughter he was raising likely wasn't his own.
As a refresher, here's the speech Rick gave to Michonne at the time:
"My friend, his name was Shane, him and Lori they were together. They thought I was dead. I know Judith isn't mine. I know it. I love her. She's my daughter, but she isn't mine. I had to accept that. I did. So I could keep her alive. I'll die before she does and I hope that's a long time from now, so I can raise her and protect her and teach her how to survive."
Related Article Module: 'Lori died giving birth to Judith on season three of "TWD" and was raised by Rick (Lori's ex), Judith's brother, Carl (Chandler Riggs), Michonne (Danai Gurira), and the rest of Rick's survival group.
Lincoln told Entertainment Weekly in 2016 that former showrunner Scott Gimple let him in on the reveal before he received a script for season seven.
In the same interview, executive producer David Alpert told EW he didn't think there would ever be a reason for Rick to ever tell Judith that he's not her father "unless she grows up and she has that big Shane beard," he joked.
Rick is currently missing in "TWD" universe and is expected to be featured in the Rick Grimes' "Walking Dead" movies.
While everyone else on the show believes Rick to be dead, Judith is keeping one of the series' biggest secrets. Her mom, Michonne, went off in search of Rick after finding clues that he may still be alive.
For now, Judith is holding out hope that Michonne will find her father safe.
When asked if Judith may tell anyone else what Michonne is really up to, it sounds like that's not in the cards.
"She's definitely afraid that she's she's going to lose everybody that she has, especially her Uncle Daryl," Fleming said. "She probably does want to tell somebody because they might know something that she doesn't know, but she probably doubts it."