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When actors are finalized for a specific character or role on a show or a series, they are expected to maintain the dignity and honesty of the character till the show ends. But there have been various actors who have been asked to leave a show due to their actions which have brought the specific show negative attention and trolling. Some show makers are very specific with the code of conduct they have on their set thus, they have straight away asked the actors to leave.
Recently Jennie Nguyen was asked to leave Bravo's The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City after her racist post from 2020 surfaced on the internet and made the entire cast uncomfortable along with the audience.
Here are a few actors who were fired due to their acts:
Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood in 'House of Cards'. Image Source: Newsweek
After actor Anthony Rapp accused Kevin Spacey of sexual assault, the production house of "House Of Cards" decided to lay Kevin Spacey who played Frank Underwood off in the final season of the series. The final season aired with Robin Wright as the main lead. Kevin Spacey was also asked to leave a movie titled, ‘Gore’ and Netflix refused to work with the actor in the future as well. Kevin Spacey was later ordered to $31 million to the House of Cards production house as a result of damage that was caused due to the halting of the filming along with re-writing the season with Robin Wright. After Anthony Rapp came out with his allegation against Kevin Spacey, more than 30 people came forward too. Netflix said in a statement, “Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey. We will continue to work with MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show. We have also decided we will not be moving forward with the release of the film Gore, which was in post-production, starring and produced by Kevin Spacey." The actor later came out as a gay man on social media but the audience criticised the timing of his coming out.
Nicollette Sheridan as Edie Britt in 'Desperate Housewives'. Image Source: EW
Nicollette Sheridan who played Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives was killed off in 2009 after the actress filed a lawsuit against the ABC production studio, Touchstone, and show-creator Marc Cherry. The actress said that Marc Cherry struck her in the head and complained about altercation thus, she was written off the show. The actress said to Entertainment Weekly, “I was the victim of assault and battery on the set of Desperate Housewives by the creator of the show, my boss. I reported him and was retaliated against for doing so and fired. That is against the law.” Marc Cherry’s representative denied the allegation and said, “Nicollette Sheridan was not a victim at the hands of Marc Cherry — a court has already ruled to that effect after hearing the testimony of multiple witnesses. We are disappointed that the judicial determination continues to be ignored.” The actress lastly added, “I was vilified for standing up for my rights, not only as a woman but as a human being. And I was punished for it. But that wasn’t going to stop me because I had to get my dignity back, and if I’d let it slide, I couldn’t have looked myself in the mirror.”
Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper on ‘Two and A Half Men’. Image Source: TV guide
Charlie Sheen who played Charlie Harper on ‘Two and A Half Men’ was asked to leave the show because of his ‘dangerously self-destruction conduct, which according to reports made it very difficult for the cast and crew to keep working. Charlie also made some inflammatory comments for the show producer and co-creator, Chuck Lorre publicly. Warner Bros. Television said in a statement, “After careful consideration, Warner Bros. Television has terminated Charlie Sheen’s services on Two and a Half Men effective immediately." Charlie Sheen was one of the highest paid actors in the tv industry at that time and later actor Ashton Kutcher was brought onboard.
Isaiah Washington as Dr. Preston Burke on 'Grey's Anatomy'. Image Source: New York Post
Isaiah Washington portrayed the character of Dr. Preston Burke on ABC’s ‘Grey’s Anatomy and he was one of the most loved characters on the show but the actor was asked to leave the show which was followed by a homophobic slur against another T.R. Knight who is gay. According to the reports, the word was uttered after Isaiah and Patrick Dempsey had an altercation (verbal and physical). The actor later told Entertainment Weekly, "I'm saddened by the outcome. I did everything that the producers and the network asked me to do. I came back under great duress and stress and thought I was doing the job I was hired to do. I thought that was going to speak for my future at Grey's, but apparently, that wasn't the same vision that the network and studio had for me."
Taylor Momsen as Jenny Humphrey on 'Gossip Girl'. Image Source: Best Life
Taylor Momsen who played Jenny Humphrey on ‘Gossip Girl’ was asked to leave due to her ‘unreliable and erratic behavior on set. An insider said, "Taylor wasn't on set filming much this season, but when she did show up she wasn't very level-headed. The executives didn't trust that she was giving it her all, so they dismissed her as a regular." According to reports, Jenny’s storyline on the show was reduced because of Taylor’s behavior. The actress went onto pursue her career in music and has not returned to acting ever since.
Hartley Sawyer as Ralph Dibny / Elongated Man on 'The Flash'. Image Source: Syfy
Hartley Sawyer did not return for season seven of ‘The Flash’, even though he was a series regular. The decision to ask the actor to leave the show was because a number of his tweets that were considered to be racist, misogynistic, and homophobic surfaced on social media. One of his tweets that went viral was “The only thing keeping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me.” The CW, Berlanti Productions, Warner Bros. Television along with executive producer Eric Wallace, said in a statement, “Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven of The Flash. In regards to Mr. Sawyer’s posts on social media, we do not tolerate derogatory remarks that target any race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation. Such remarks are antithetical to our values and polices, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive and productive environment for our workforce.”
