When you become a fan of a television show, you totally get that you're going to be disappointed and heartbroken at least a few times. You're going to cry over the emotional moments, you're going to wish that the characters would have made different decisions, and you're going to feel a ton of frustration. It's just part of the joy (and pain) of being a TV addict. Sometimes, actors have to leave a show because the writers make a certain creative decision and their character will be written off the show. Other times, the actors make the decisions to leave themselves, and it can really confuse the fans and drive them pretty nuts. There have been a lot of famous actors and actresses who have quit the shows that either made their famous or brought them more accolades and attention. Here are 15 actors who left the TV show that they starred in.
15 Jake T. Austin
I was only asked to return for 3 episodes and wasn't going to be able to work on anything else, so I left... https://t.co/CODvFGaEIi
— Jake T. Austin (@JakeTAustin) January 6, 2017
If you're a fan of the sweet and sentimental teen drama The Fosters, then you know that two different actors have played the character Jesus. At first, Jake T. Austin played him, and he did an awesome job. People wondered what was going on and why he quit the show. He decided to set the record straight on his Twitter feed. He said, "I wanted to do roles with more substantive content. I was only asked to return for 3 episodes and wasn't going to be able to work on anything else, so I left..." Now, Noah Centineo plays Jesus, and he has since the third season. It was a bit jarring for fans to see someone else portraying the character, but it does happen a lot on soap operas, so it's not the craziest thing ever. What's interesting is that recently, Jesus has gotten a ton of screen time, and he is definitely a main character.
14 Demi Lovato
When Demi Lovato became famous, she was starring on a Disney show called Sonny with a Chance. She quit the show because of everything that was going on in her life. She has admitted to struggling with drug abuse, eating disorders, and mental illness, including self-harm, and that was the reason why she had to leave. It's possible that you might not even know that she was on this show, and that would make sense since she's known these days for her music and for being outspoken about her struggles. She's definitely a very inspiring person and it's awesome that she isn't afraid to speak her mind. Of course, sometimes what she says or tweets gets her into trouble. It seems like the decision to leave her show was the right one, though, since she has gotten better and turned her life around, and she seems truly happy.
13 George Clooney
You know him as a super hot movie star, but back in the day, he starred on the show E.R. He played the character Doug Ross from 1994 until 1999. Of course, leaving the show definitely worked out really well for him... and that's putting it lightly. He went back to the show in 2009 and that was super exciting for fans, especially since it seems like everyone tried to keep it on the down low. It just goes to show that when someone is super talented (and, okay, super talented), they are on a path toward crazy amounts of success that no one can stop them from. Fans of the show probably thought that he would make it big in Hollywood and that's exactly what has happened. These days, he's still acting, but he's also raising his newborn twins with his lovely wife. Yup, he's added family man to his list of projects.
12 Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty is known for quitting two different shows that she starred in. Yes, two. She starred as Brenda Walsh on the teen drama Beverly Hills 90210. She was essentially one of the two main characters, at least for the beginning of the show, as she and her brother Brandon moved from Minnesota to Beverly Hills and had to deal with the major culture shock. Goodbye snow and sweaters, hello teens who act like adults. She quit the show after rumors started flying that she wasn't getting along with the cast and crew. And then... she did the same thing when she starred on the witch drama Charmed a few years later. Yup, that definitely looks like a pattern. Since then, she has had some movie roles, and has recently been in the spotlight for something other than her acting: for her tragic battle with cancer.
11 Jennifer Morrison
The star of Once Upon A Time decided to leave the show before the next season premieres in September 2017, and there are actually a few others who made the same choice. She played Emma Swan and was arguably the main character, since she was the person who discovered the storybook world in the very beginning. She told Deadline.com, "I’ve been transitioning into doing more directing, I’ve had some opportunities that I’ve passed up along the years in order to fulfill these network schedules, and I really had to weigh where I was in my life. I’m just at an age and a time in my life where I want to be home, I want to be with my family and my friends, to have a chance to have a personal life for a while, and also wanted to be available to do other creative things." She has also been on a few other shows, including House, so it makes sense that she feels that it's time to focus on other things.
10 Jason Priestley
Jason Priestley played Brandon Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990 to 1998, and he decided to leave the show before the final season. What's interesting is that since then, he has said that he regrets not staying on the show until the very end. You can see why he would have wanted to leave, though, since he had been on the show for so many seasons at that point and it makes sense that he would have wanted to move on. If you watched the show until the end, you probably really missed Brandon. He was just such a big part of the gang. Making that decision turned out okay for him since he's had a super successful television career since then as well. He talked about his life, both personal and professional, in his memoir that was published in 2014, and gave some super juicy details that any fan would love to read.
9 Mischa Barton
If you were a fan of The O.C. (and you probably were since it's such an awesome show), then you were super shocked when Marissa Cooper died in the season two finale. It was a pretty big moment. You might have thought that the writers made a creative choice and they felt that Marissa's storyline had run its course, but the actress who played the character, Mischa Barton, said that she wanted to leave the show. In an interview, she said, "I think I just got to the point where I was like, 'I'm not sure I'm enjoying this anymore. I just felt like I was in a machine and I couldn't really get off. So it was time to step back. So I went back to England and it was just a year of real self-exploration.” You still watched the show for the final two seasons and yet it was sad to see Summer Roberts without her BFF by her side. It was also sad to see the end of Ryan Atwood and Marissa's epic love story.
8 Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe has also quit several shows that he starred on. He was on The West Wing from 1996 to 2006 and then left the show. His reason? Apparently it was because he wasn't getting enough storylines and he didn't feel that he was a main character anymore. He then starred on the family drama Brothers and Sisters from 2006 until 2010. He felt there weren't enough meaty or interesting stories on the show anymore. He told GQ, "“I left Brothers and Sisters when they ran out of storytelling runway.’ I mean, there are so many family dinners you can do. I eventually had to go to them and say, ‘Look, I don’t do spatula work. I don’t do scenes with oven mitts. If you’re looking for that, you’ve got the wrong guy. I’m not doing scenes about casseroles. It’s not happening.'" Rob Lowe also quit a third show: Parks and Recreation.
7 Eileen Davidson
Eileen Davidson starred on The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills for three seasons. She recently said that she is quitting the show. It's always a shock when someone quits a show that they starred on, whether it's a drama or a sitcom or a reality show. It's even more surprising when a real housewife quits because you get so attached to these women. She said in an interview, "After a lot of careful thought, I've decided because of my crazy schedules at The Young and The Restless, as well as Days of Our Lives, it's best for me and my family if I step away from being a 'Housewife' for now." You will definitely miss her because she can often be a true voice of reason on a show that is known for getting a bit wild and crazy. She's been a great staple on the show since she first started appearing on it in 2014.
6 Heather Dubrow
This news was super sad. Heather Dubrow, a fan favorite on The Real Housewives Of Orange County, said that she wouldn't be coming back for the current season, season twelve. She was on the show for five seasons and definitely brought her awesome sense of humor and sweet nature to the episodes. It's honestly tough to tune into the show without her. It was great seeing her build her latest house, deal with her family, and deal with the other women. Of course, it's not the most surprising news ever. Heather is definitely super busy. She's got a podcast, her family, her work with her husband Terry, and her acting career. It's definitely hard to balance all of those things and maybe it was just too much on her schedule. You have to wonder if sometimes they just get sick and tired of all the drama, right?!
5 Nina Dobrev
Fans were pretty surprised to learn that Nina Dobrev was leaving The Vampire Diaries and would not be returning for the seventh season. Sure, she did appear on the show a bit in season seven and eight, and she thankfully appeared in the series finale. Fans were definitely thrilled about that. You loved her so much since she was the main character besides Damon and Stefan. From the very first episode, you learned about her background, her personality, and her family, and you followed her story for several years. It was tough to say goodbye. It seems like she wanted to move on and focus on other things, which is usually the reason that actors or actresses leave the show that they have been starring on. There was definitely no bad blood or anything like that. It seems like it was just time.
4 Katherine Heigl
It's no secret that when Katherine Heigl quit Grey's Anatomy, she had been speaking out about not liking the show anymore or her character or the storylines that she was given. She even got into some hot water for not submitting herself for an Emmy nomination because she felt that the writing and storytelling wasn't there. Ouch. It was shocking as a fan to learn that Izzy was just randomly gone. After all, she was married to Alex, and you were pretty attached to her. You couldn't imagine her not working at the hospital anymore. But the character moved away and that was that. Of course, you've pretty much gotten used to the idea that when it comes to this show, you can't get too attached to anyone. You never know what's going to happen because tragedy strikes all of the interns and doctors and patients pretty much all the time.
3 Bethenny Frankel
Bethenny Frankel was a staple of The Real Housewives of New York from 2008 until 2010. She decided to leave the show and it definitely was a great choice since her career has been absolutely amazing since then. She launched her brand Skinnygirl and has so many different projects on the go all the time. She's a super inspiring businesswoman. Since she was such a fan favorite and her witty and hilarious commentary on everything that is going on and the other ladies is always welcome, she decided to return to the show back in 2015. She's still on the show now, and it's safe to say that fans are thrilled with her return. Hopefully she will stay on for every season that gets produced because she's reality TV gold. It would suck to say goodbye to her once again because, again, she's so smart and funny.
2 Patrick Dempsey
This one was super tough. When Derek Shepherd died from injuries thanks to a tragic accident, it was horrible to watch. You couldn't believe it. You felt so bad for Meredith Grey and everyone else. It turned out that Patrick Dempsey himself felt that it was time for him to let the character go and leave the show. You were probably pretty shocked to learn that he wanted to leave. It's always hard to learn that your favorite actors or actresses want to leave the show that you love so much. You can't imagine continuing to watch the series without them, but that's just the way that it goes sometimes. Sure, you're still watching the show and you won't give it up because you're just too attached at this point and have been watching for so many years... but whenever you tune in, you're always hoping that Derek will show up. It's hard to stop wishing for that to happen.
1 Connie Britton
When Rayna James passed away on Nashville, it was absolutely devastating for fans and critics. It was just the worst. Once you got used to the idea, you learned that Connie Britton decided to say goodbye to her beloved character and the show. She felt that it was just time for her to move on and do something else. You definitely wish that her character didn't pass away and that something else could have been done, but you do understand why the writers made that choice. She said that Rayna would never have moved away or left her family or anything like that, and you know that's true. Rayna was just the best. It's hard to watch the show without the main character, though, and you always wonder if it was just a bad dream and if Rayna will walk back into her house or the office of her record label. Sigh.
