This is probably one of the most controversial TV departures on our list. In the early 2000s, comedian, Dave Chappelle, abruptly let his hit comedy series Chappelle’s Show. Despite the huge success of the show, Chappelle didn’t feel happy with how things were unfolding. He felt that fans only liked his “stupid” humor, and didn’t get his more intellectual skits, which eventually got him disappointed.
“You know why my show is good? Because the network officials say you’re not smart enough to get what I’m doing, and every day I fight for you,” Chappelle once told his audience. “I tell them how smart you are. Turns out, I was wrong. You people are stupid.” Ouch. And that’s how Chappelle’s genius skit show ended.
Michael O’Hare on Babylon 5
The character of Jeffrey Sinclair, on Babylon 5, was played by Michael O’Hare. When he left Babylon 5, he left all of his fans wildly disappointed. It was even more frustrating, because he did not want to tell anyone the real reason why he was leaving. He begged the show to keep it a secret. Production had even gone so far as to offer to put a hold on the show until he got better, but Michael just wanted to be written off the show. Sadly, he was experiencing paranoia and hallucinations, among other psychological issues.
He did not want the public to know about his mental issues, so they were kept a secret. That is, until he died in 2012, and the real reason he left the show was finally revealed.
John Ritter on 8 Simple Rules and Scrubs
One of the most devastating celebrity deaths is that of John Ritter. He died in September of 2003, from an aortic dissection. After this awful tragedy, he had to be written out of the shows he was currently on, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter and Scrubs.
This death really hit a lot of people hard. His family, of course, was devastated. They believed that his untimely death could have been prevented, and even went as far as to bring a lawsuit to the hospital for wrongful death. His wife Amy wants the hospital to take responsibility and action for this tragedy.
Jeffrey DeMunn on The Walking Dead
The character of Dale on the hit TV show, The Walking Dead, was played by actor Jeffrey DeMunn. Jeffrey decided that he did not want to be on the Walking Dead any longer, so production killed off his character in quite the elaborate way.
On the episode where he is killed, the character Dale sees a dead cow across a field where he is walking. At that point, he sees the walker. There was no rhyme or reason how the walker appeared so fast, but he kills Dale immediately. This would be the end of Jeffrey DeMunn’s run on the show.
Chad Michael Murray on Gilmore Girls
Bad boy Tristan, on the hit show Gilmore Girls, was played by heartthrob Chad Michael Murray. He was a trash-talking bully, but he had an unspoken crush on Rory. On the show, they even shared a kiss! Out of nowhere, the character was sent off to military school. On the show, they said he had to go there as punishment for his bad behavior.
Chad Michael Murray actually left the show because he was also filming Dawson's Creek. He had also landed the role on One Tree Hill, and he was just too busy. He has said in various interviews how much he enjoyed playing the role of Tristan, thankfully, he did leave on a good note.