These fan favorite stars opened up about their departures
Saying goodbye is the hardest part. Chicago Fire, , and Law and Order are just some of the TV shows that have gifted fans with memorable and beloved characters over the years, but unfortunately, not all of them have stayed.
From failed contract negotiations to creative decisions and on-set disputes, Rome Flynn, Stana Katic, Daniel Dae Kim and more actors have been forced to wave goodbye. Here's what happened behind the scenes…
Rome Flynn
In April 2024, it was announced that Rome Flynn had departed . After joining the hit procedural drama for six episodes, the actor was "sad" to learn that his character had been written out of season 12, with Jake Gibson leaving to get help for a prescription pill addiction.
Speaking to about his exit from the show, Rome said: "Just like all the fans, I was sad to see Gibson leave. He was a character I very much enjoyed playing."
Suggesting that the decision was out of his hands, he added: "I had a wonderful experience during my time on Chicago Fire and have great respect for the cast and crew and hope to team up with Dick Wolf again when the time is right."
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Stana Katic
Stana Katic is known and loved for her portrayal of detective Kate Beckett in ABC's , but after appearing on the show for eight seasons, the actress was mysteriously let go. While her co-star, Nathan Fillion, was offered a contract for series nine, Stana received no such offer, leaving her "hurt."
A month later, however, was canceled altogether, so Stana was able to complete the series, waving goodbye to Kate Beckett in the season eight finale. Reflecting on how everything went down in 2020, Stana told : "I was confused by the entire experience. I was hurt.
"But look, time has passed and I am so thankful to have been a part of that project, for it to have affected as many people as it did. People loved that couple and loved the story we told, loved all of those characters. It would be a disservice to the work that I did, which I feel partly contributed to the success of the show, if I looked back on it and was anything but grateful for the awesome run."
Daniel Dae Kim
Daniel Dae Kim announced his departure from in 2017, following failed contract negotiations. The actor, who played Chin Ho Kelly for seven years, and his co-star Grace Park had failed to acquire pay parity with castmembers Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan.
Addressing his fans on Facebook, Daniel explained: "Though transitions can be difficult, I encourage us all to look beyond the disappointment of this moment to the bigger picture. The path to equality is rarely easy. But I hope you can be excited for the future. I am."
Following Daniel's post, CBS followed up with a statement, explaining that Daniel and Grace had been offered "large and significant salary raises" but were unable to reach an agreement. The network concluded by wishing the stars all the best with their future endeavours.
Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill's portrayal of Geralt of Rivia has been lauded by fans, but in October 2022, he confirmed that he would be passing the baton to Liam Hemsworth for season four.
Earlier that week, it had also been announced that Henry would return as Superman, prompting fans to speculate that he'd been forced to choose between the two roles, prioritizing the DC superhero.
But, when James Gunn became the new co-CEO of DC Studios, and confirmed that he would be rebooting Superman instead of bringing back Henry, the A-lister was understandably saddened by the news.
"After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn't the easiest, but that's life," he said. "I respect that James and Peter [Safran, co-chair] have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes."
fans were hopeful that Henry might return as Geralt following the news, but Netflix quickly refuted the possibility. While Henry has refrained from explaining the precise reasons for his departure from The Witcher, it's likely that his hopes to reprise the role of Superman played a part in the decision.
Christopher Meloni
Christopher Meloni was a regular fixture on but after 12 seasons, the actor waved goodbye.
Reflecting on his 2011 exit, Christopher revealed to that he'd been unhappy with his salary at the time, and had told NBC: "I don't want to [expletive] around with you guys. This is what I want. If you can't do it, that's fine. Let's figure out my exit."
Janet Hubert
Janet Hubert played the original Vivian Banks in , but after declining a "bad deal," the actress felt "banished" by her co-star Will Smith.
During her appearance on the sitcom's 30-year reunion special, Janet clarified that she had decided to leave, and was not fired as the media had suggested. "Something I would like to clarify is, during that third season, when I got pregnant, there were a lot of things going on in my life, and in Will's life as well," she explained.
"There was some friction because I was pregnant, home life was not good at all, I was no longer laughing, smiling, joking, because there were things going on that nobody knew about. The cast had no idea what was going on."
After turning down her contract, Janet was given the reputation of being "difficult" which she called "the kiss of death" for her career.
"When I left the show, I had this new baby and no one," she continued. "My family disowned me; Hollywood disowned me. My family said, 'You've ruined our name.' And I wasn't unprofessional on the set. I just stopped talking to everybody, because I didn't know who to trust because I had been banished. And they said it was you who banished me."
Janet and Will have since reconnected and healed their rift.
Christopher Eccleston
British actor Christopher Eccleston was highly-praised for his performance as , but in 2005, he stepped down as the titular Time Lord.
Extremely vocal about his decision to leave, in 2019, the actor revealed that he'd clashed with showrunner Russell T. Davies and executive producers Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson.
"I left because my relationship with the showrunner and the producer broke down," he noted. "[I left because of] the politics of the show. I left only because of those three individuals and the way they were running the show. I loved playing the character, and I loved the world … I felt, 'I'm gonna play the Doctor my way and I'm not gonna get involved in these politics,' and that wasn't workable, so off I went… and became the invisible man."
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