Random TV Characters Killed Off Because The Writers Hated The Actor (13 items)

(#10) Harrison Wright
- Scandal
It seems the drama that exists in Shonda Rhime’s hit TV shows inevitably rubs off on the actors on her shows. Columbus Short was sacked, and his character suffered an off-screen demise (but on-screen funeral) amidst allegations of substance abuse and domestic violence.

While Short may not have had an issue with the writers of the show, creator Shonda Rhimes has proved time and time again that no actors are safe if they cross the line - and clearly, drug use and domestic abuse allegations crossed that line.
(#12) James Evans, Sr.

John Amos starred as James Evans on the iconic sitcom Good Times for the first three seasons. However, Amos’ character was written off after the third season when he came out against the direction of the show’s writers. Amos felt that while the show started as a way for Black actors to hold up a mirror to mainstream American viewers, he felt the show was angling more towards comedy relief.

Amos told Archive of American Television, “I felt too much emphasis was being put on J.J. and his chicken hat and saying ‘dy-no-mite’ every third page, when just as much emphasis and mileage could have been gotten out of my other two children.”
(#5) Jenny Humphrey
- Gossip Girl
The former child starTaylor Momsen regained the spotlight thanks to the wildly popular Gossip Girl. According to Hollywood Life, Momsen was forced out because of her “unreliable and erratic behavior.” A source told the site, “Taylor wasn't on set filming much this season, but when she did show up she wasn't very level-headed. The show's executives didn't trust that she was really giving it her all, so they dismissed her as a regular."
(#3) Chef
- South Park
Southern soul singer Isaac Hayes offered his unmiastakble voice to the cartoon for years, voicing local ladies' man Chef. That changed when Trey Parker and Matt Stone went after Scientology, of which Hayes is a devout member. Hayes d isagreed with the writers of the show, saying that they had begun to demonstrate “intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others.”

The writers of South Park responded by killing Hayes’ character in hilarious fashion; falling off of a bridge, getting eaten by a lion and bear, and finally, crapping his pants.
(#6) Jason Gideon
- Criminal Minds
Beloved for his roles in The Princess Bride and later Homeland, Mandy Patinkin also had a brief, two-season stint on the drama, Criminal Minds. While the actor’s character was not slain in the show, he was undeniably written off the show for poor behavior. During that time, Patinkin complained about being on the show to New York Magazine, saying, "The biggest public mistake I ever made was that I chose to do Criminal Minds in the first place. [...] I thought it was something very different. I never thought they were going to kill and rape all these women every night, every day, week after week, year after year. It was very destructive to my soul and my personality. After that, I didn't think I would get to work in television again."

Following his departure, the program’s executive producer Ed Bernero released a written statement saying, “Everyone involved in the show has for two years bent over backward to give him ANYTHING he wanted.” Clearly, there was no love lost between the two sides.
(#11) James 'Jimmy' Darmody
- Boardwalk Empire
While undeniably talented, Michael Pitt was his own worst enemy on the HBO hit Boardwalk Empire when his alleged bad behavior not only cost him his job, but his reputation. According to a source that spoke with Uproxx, "[Pitt was] late a lot (this costs production money), [he had] trouble remembering lines (they had to reshoot an entire scene because he couldn't remember his lines…this costs production money), [was] constantly questioning his character's storyline, tried to change dialogue a lot, would wander from the set, got into a little fist fight with William Forsythe during the Jimmy death scene, etc. They had plans for him…but they pretty much just got tired of him.”

Pitt’s character was eliminated in the Season 2 finale. To make matters worse for the young actor, his agent at UTA later dropped him as a client because, according to Deadline, “he’s really difficulty on set and otherwise.”