Freddy Hayes is the former owner of Freddy's BBQ Joint. This restaurant was a secret hideaway of Frank Underwood where he usually went at all sorts of times of day and night to eat his famous ribs. Later it began to serve as a covert meeting place for Frank, Raymond Tusk and Remy Danton.
Biography[]
Freddy's youth and life until 1982 is largely unknown. He eventually fell in with a gang of criminals, who were so prolific and successful that they were regularly pocketing up to $60,000 a month. During a robbery of a convenience store in Columbia Heights in the early 1980s, he lost control of his car during a high speed pursuit. He crashed into another vehicle and killed the elderly couple driving. He avoided manslaughter charges by pleading guilty to armed robbery, and served nine years. (Chapter 22) In 1992, he opened Freddy's BBQ Joint to start a new chapter in life. Frank, however, didn't know about Freddy's past prior to Chapter 22, when Tusk jeopardized everything near enough to Frank to put him in bad press.
In Chapter 20, during the interview with the Nick Henslow, he mentions, that he and his father weren't close and that "the only thing the mothafucka could do were ribs". He also mentioned that Frank Underwood had been a customer for about 20 years, from about 1994.
Season 1[]
Freddy is introduced in Chapter 1, opening his restaurant specifically for Frank in the early hours of the morning. They are established as close friends.
Season 2[]
Freddy's relationship with Frank becomes strained when Remy exploited this close friendship and leaked details about their relationship to the media as a smear tactic against Frank. It is later implied that the friendship may have been one-sided, as Freddy revealed he used to return to his kitchen when he had grown tired of listening to Frank talking.[Chapter 37]
In the same episode, Chapter 22, Freddy signed papers to franchise his restaurant around the country but the deal later fell through when due to intense media attention. After the media attack on Freddy orchestrated by Tusk, Frank wanted to organize a press statement regarding Freddy, as he "won't leave one of his own bleeding on the field", despite Seth strongly advising against it. The morning after, Freddy's son Darnell, who had been on parole, threatened photojournalists with a gun, eventually burying the franchise deal. Frank was then forced to visit Freddy to urge him to downplay the friendship because of the negative light Darnell's action could bring on him. This upset Freddy and he rejected the friendship calling Frank nothing more than a 'good customer'.
Season 3[]
Freddy was seen at the end of Chapter 31 lining up outside the AmWorks tent to get a job as President Underwood made his 4th July speech. Later on, in Chapter 34, it was shown that Freddy had indeed gotten a job as a dishwasher after his "success story" file landed on President Underwood's desk. However, he was shown to be close to being fired at his job because his boss couldn't afford 3 new dishwashers. Later on in the episode, he is brought to the White House by Frank and is given a job as a White House Groundskeeper, after refusing to take a job in the White House Kitchen. After this, he also told his grandson, DeShawn, that "it's OK to dream as long as they aren't fantasies". He is also seen in Chapter 37 talking to Frank as Remy walks in to talk to Francis.
Season 4[]
Freddy next appears in Chapter 50, when he happens to come up to the White House residence. He’s moved on to the White House flower shop and Frank is delighted to see him. He’s less delighted when Freddy informs him that he’s quitting to take a new job in a Georgetown flower shop. Frank says he should come over to cook ribs before he goes — and Freddy snaps. “I’m just the help, ain’t I,” he snarls, pointing out that cooking ribs were not his idea of a send-off. “I don’t know how Claire does it,” he mutters on the way out, prompting Frank to call him ungrateful and insist upon being called Mr. President. “You a mothafucka,” Freddy responds on his way out the door. “My bad, my bad. You a mothafucka, Mr. President.”
Freddy follows that up with beating up Tom Hammerschmidt, telling him to leave him alone, and smashing a recorder when he tries to get him on the record about Frank.
Behind the Scenes[]
Freddy Hayes was portrayed by Reg E. Cathey in Seasons 1, 2, 3 and 4 of House of Cards. Cathey was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for seasons 2, 3 and 4, winning for the third season. He remains the only member of the cast to win an Emmy award.
Appearances[]
| Season 1 | ||||
| "Chapter 1" | "Chapter 2" | "Chapter 3" | "Chapter 4" | "Chapter 5" |
| "Chapter 6" | "Chapter 7" | "Chapter 8" | "Chapter 9" | "Chapter 10" |
| "Chapter 11" | "Chapter 12" | "Chapter 13" | ||
| Season 2 | ||||
| "Chapter 14" | "Chapter 15" | "Chapter 16" | "Chapter 17" | "Chapter 18" |
| "Chapter 19" | "Chapter 20" | "Chapter 21" | "Chapter 22" | "Chapter 23" |
| "Chapter 24" | "Chapter 25" | "Chapter 26" | ||
| Season 3 | ||||
| "Chapter 27" | "Chapter 28" | "Chapter 29" | "Chapter 30" | "Chapter 31" |
| "Chapter 32" | "Chapter 33" | "Chapter 34" | "Chapter 35" | "Chapter 36" |
| "Chapter 37" | "Chapter 38" | "Chapter 39" | ||
| Season 4 | ||||
| "Chapter 40" | "Chapter 41" | "Chapter 42" | "Chapter 43" | "Chapter 44" |
| "Chapter 45" | "Chapter 46" | "Chapter 47" | "Chapter 48" | "Chapter 49" |
| "Chapter 50" | "Chapter 51" | "Chapter 52" | ||
Trivia[]
- Of all the main characters, Freddy has only met Frank, Claire, Doug, Remy, Garrett Walker, Patricia Walker, and Raymond Tusk
- It is possible that he met Zoe and Adam at the CWI Charity Gala event.
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