The Severance Cast Respond To The Fan Theory That Ricken Is A Goat
The evidence is all there.
In the world of Severance, it seems like no ridiculous-sounding fan theory can ever actually be too far-fetched. After all, this is a world of kinky waffle parties, strange fruit effigies, and spontaneous marching bands. So when a hypothesis started building momentum in the fandom about one of the major characters secretly being a goat, it couldn’t totally be shut down. And honestly, even the show’s cast is convinced.
The strangely convincing theory that Ricken may be a goat’s outie gained significant traction during Season 2, as fans pointed out a surprising amount of clues pointing to how Mark’s brother-in-law is connected to Lumon’s favorite animal. Not only are his appearance and mannerisms suspiciously caprine, the new season also revealed that he’s an impressively accomplished mountain climber, along with furnishing his home with goat paintings and busts.
Since fans now know that Lumon has a whole Mammalians Nurturable department fully dedicated to raising goats, the connection feels notable. Could Ricken really just spend part of his life as a human, and the other part as one of the goats on Lumon’s severed floor?
“I mean, why not?” Michael Chernus (who plays Ricken) tells Elite Daily at the show’s March 21 PaleyFest event. He’s become very familiar with the goat theory in recent weeks. “People have been sending TikToks to me. And not people I’m super close with — they’re coming out of the woodwork to be like, ‘Did you see the goat thing?’”
He also knows all about the other prominent fan theory regarding Ricken: “I’ve seen people think that Ricken is severed, and that he’s an Eagan,” Chernus says. “I just love that people are so engaged with it. If they’re coming up with these wild theories, it just means that they care, they’re invested.”
Jen Tullock, who plays Ricken’s wife, Devon, says she’s spoken to Chernus about the goat theory, and Zach Cherry, who plays Dylan, lists it as one of his favorite fan theories he’s recently heard.
The true purpose of the goats at Lumon has become a source of widespread speculation among fans — and the cast itself still doesn’t fully know what’s going on with them. Tramell Tillman, who plays Mr. Milchick, says he’s heard a particularly bizarre theory about how the show’s “unofficial mascot” relates to his character.
“All the goats are actually Milchick. They grow them to become Milchicks,” Tillman conjectures.
Perhaps the only person who truly knows the secret of the goats is Severance creator Dan Erickson. After the Season 2 finale revealed that a particularly wily and verve-filled goat named Emile was meant to be killed in a ritualistic sacrifice, Erickson hints that there’s more to the herd that has yet to be revealed.
“Emile was meant as a sacrifice,” Erickson says. “Beyond that, in terms of what they mean, what they’re doing, we’ll have to wait and see.”
