On the show Ally McBeal, Robert Downey Jr. played Larry Paul, who was the love interest of the title character, Ally McBeal. Ally had a multitude of different love interests on her show, but the team brought Larry in as the last one. The plan was for her to marry him. That was a great idea since he was a big fan favorite – both character and actor wise.
Robert Downey Jr. got the role of Larry Paul shortly after getting out of jail. He was in and out of jail due to his addiction to drugs but was hopeful that he would be able to stay clean now that he had a new role to focus on. Sadly, that was not the case, and he got fired from the show after his inability to stay clean.
Janet Hubert on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The original Aunt Viv on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was played by actress Janet Hubert. She ended up getting pregnant while filming the show, which violated her contract. At this point, the production team fired her. They replaced her with another actress, Daphne Maxwell Reed, who would go on to play the role of Aunt Viv for the final three seasons.
One would think that getting fired for getting pregnant is a harsh punishment, but there was more to it. It was also said that she hated Will Smith and was constantly fighting with him. It was rumored that Smith said she was too dark to believably be the mother to the kids, as well. She did not seem surprised when she was fired from the show.
Mandy Patinkin on Criminal Minds
Mandy Patinkin spent 2 seasons on the show Criminal Minds before calling it quits. He had previously done mostly comedies, such as The Princess Bride, so after two years on Criminal Minds he decided the show was getting too dark for him.
Sadly, he says he does regret his time on Criminal Minds. He marks it as one of his biggest mistakes. He was excited to do something different but did not realize the toll it would take on him mentally. He did not know the storylines were going to be about raping and murdering women every night. He says it was very destructive to him.
Paz De La Huerta on Boardwalk Empire
This is probably one of the strangest reasons we have seen yet for being fired from a show. Actress Paz De La Huerta was an actor on the show Boardwalk Empire. During the filming of one episode, naked, she had a tampon string hanging out between her legs. She was told to hide the string, or get rid of it - at which point she pulled the tampon out and dropped it on the floor, beckoning a personal assistant to pick it up.
Paz De La Huerta had gotten into trouble previously, and she was even arrested and charged with assault for throwing a glass and cutting a fellow actresses' leg.
William Hartnell On Dr. Who
In the show Dr. Who, the original role of Dr. Who was played by actor William Hartnell. Hartnell had to leave the show due to arteriosclerosis. His health was quickly deteriorating and it was so hard for him to keep up with the intense filming schedule, so he had to plan his leave. Luckily, the producers and writers had an amazing plan. They were going to have the Dr. get himself a new body!
Dr. Who was a cult classic. The show was making serious money and they were not about to cut this run short. Hartnell wanted the show to go on as well and he had the idea that Patrick Troughton could become the new Dr. Who.