Even some of the most talented actors that are out there in the field can go their whole careers without becoming the leads of a television series. It’s one thing to star in a movie, but TV shows that are serious hits are on the air and in the public consciousness for years. This makes a lead role in a television series such an opportunity because it’s not just steady work for years, but it can help make careers, too.
Considering how hard actors will work and how much luck can be involved with getting cast in a television series, it’s shocking to see how quickly some will throw all of this away in exchange for a bigger piece of the pie. The cast of a television show are hardly invincible and it’s exactly that kind of attitude that can lead to their unexpected dismissals.
15 Charlie Sheen Gained An Astronomical Ego And Went Wild
There are few examples of a cast member rebelling against their television that are more extreme than Charlie Sheen’s war against Two and a Half Men. For over a decade the show treated Sheen well and he seemed to be proud of the series. Then the actor went on a rant against the series and its creator that hit such heights that Sheen was taken out of the show and a revolving door of replacements came over the years. It also set the stage for the more eccentric personality than Sheen has embraced in recent years.
14 Erinn Hayes Was Fired For Strange Nostalgia That Didn't Pay Off
Kevin James has become a huge name in the sitcom world thanks to his successful sitcom, The King of Queens. As a result, it was a very big deal when James announced he was returning with the show, Kevin Can Wait. When the show wasn't an immediate hit, this was taken out on Erinn Hayes, who played James' wife. Hayes' character was spitefully killed off and replaced by a new character played by Leah Remini, James' co-star from King of Queens. It was a bizarre effort to recapture that old magic and basically remake an old sitcom, but the re-tooled version didn't stick around and Hayes shouldn't have been punished for it.
13 Shannen Doherty Does Not Play Well With Others
Shannen Doherty has been a part of some very popular TV shows, but a commonality between many programs that she's joined is that she was also let go. This first happened on Beverly Hills, 90210 after Doherty's allegedly poor attitude. However, during her time on Charmed she was also fired due to an ongoing animosity between her and her co-star, Alyssa Milano.
12 Roseanne Had To Face The Music After Some Choice Words
There have been a handful of series that have come back from the dead and experienced modern reboots or revivals, but Roseanne is the only one that’s had to oust the show’s lead and namesake in a very public and humiliating manner. Roseanne Barr went on a Twitter tirade and voiced some very unpopular and inflammatory opinions that got her in enough hot water with ABC to have her own show taken away from her. The comedy was rebranded as The Conners and Roseanne’s presence has been scrubbed from the show, which is managing to still do well.
11 Jussie Smollett Perpetrated An Elaborate Conspiracy That Blew Up In His Face
The things that people will do for fame and attention is always astonishing, but it’s even crazier when people can be caught in their own disaffected bubbles and have skewed views on the world. Jussie Smollett, one of the leads in Empire, caused major headlines when it turned out that he faked a kidnapping and assault case in order to get himself into the spotlight and a higher profile. The story is still ongoing in some respects, but Smollett’s character was written off the show as a response to it all.
10 John Amos Was Killed Off Of Good Times Due To Rocking The Boat
Good Times was a rather formative program for CBS during the '70s, but as the program went on, John Amos became frustrated with the broader direction and negative depictions present in the series. Amos was given a pay bump to stay on the series, but this eventually led to his character being killed on the show! Amos was vocal about how this was not his decision and actually an extension of being fired due to his attitude and opinions on the show.
9 Brett Butler Showed No Grace When Under Fire
One of the more disruptive dismissals of a cast member took place with Brett Butler, the star of Grace Under Fire. Butler's problems with addiction led to her being fired from the show, but this spiraled into the entire series being cancelled, so her behavior let down several people, not just herself.
8 Columbus Short Was Given His Walking Papers After His Life Resembled An Episode
Columbus Short's Harrison Wright was an integral cast member on Scandal during the show's first three seasons. Sadly, Short's life exploded in a big way when he threatened to kill his wife and she filed a restraining order against him. This behavior paired with other accusations was just too much of a liability and so Scandal worked him out of the show.
7 Lisa Bonet Was Written Out Of Her Own Spin-Off
The Cosby Show created many memorable characters, but Lisa Bonet's Denise Huxtable proved to be so popular with audiences that she was given her own spin-off, A Different World, which explored her time at college. However, shortly into the show's run, Bonet became pregnant and so the producers actually wrote Denise out of the series and focused on the character's friends instead. All of this work was done to give her a spin-off and then she doesn't even stay in the picture.
6 Valerie Harper Was Let Go From The Show That Was Named After Her
Valerie was a fun family sitcom starring Valerie Harper and Jason Bateman, but after the show's second season, Harper asked for more money, which resulted in contract disputes. Due to rocking the boat, she was fired from her own show. Obviously the series could no longer be called Valerie, so the titled changed The Harper Family and a new cast member was brought in as Valerie's sister-in-law, with no explanation provided otherwise for these changes.
