Famous actors who were fired from hit TV shows

Patrick Dempsey, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ - McDreamy was killed in a car crash at the end of season 11 following reports that the married Dempsey was having an affair with a staffer. Shonda Rhimes later admitted on 'The Nightly Show' that she's written a character out because of an actor, though she wouldn't say who.

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Isaiah Washington, 'Grey’s Anatomy' - The drama of the show is almost as juicy offscreen! Washington's character was dropped from the show after the actor was fired for allegedly using homophobic slurs against costar T.R. Knight.

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T.R. Knight, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ - Knight's character was also killed off, though by heroically sacrificing himself to save a woman from an oncoming bus, as he was allegedly stirring problems on set after the altercation with Washington.

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Chevy Chase, ‘Community’ -

The legendary comedian clashed repeatedly with producers and cast members, making offensive and critical public remarks about the show. He lasted five seasons as Pierce, a narrow-minded character that many believe was based on Chase himself.

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Jeremy Clarkson, 'Top Gear' - It came as a shock to 'Top Gear' fans when host Jeremy Clarkson was sacked from the show in 2015 after being with BBC for 27 years.

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Jeremy Clarkson, 'Top Gear' - It happened after a physical altercation between Clarkson and producer Oisin Tymon, in which the latter never retaliated. Cohosts Richard Hammond and James May also walked out in support.

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Charlie Sheen, 'Two and a Half Men' - The fastest way to get killed off a show is by making anti-Semitic remarks about showrunner Chuck Lorre, and calling him a "maggot." Lorre wasn't afraid to kill off the main character!

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Charlie Sheen, 'Two and a Half Men' -

Charlie Harper gets hit by a train, and if that wasn't enough, he has a completely disrespectful funeral where it is revealed that he was, among other things, sexually attracted to animals.

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Nicollette Sheridan, 'Desperate Housewives' - Edie Britt was killed off in 2009, reportedly due to Sheridan's poor relationship with the cast and crew, her tendency to show up late and forget lines, and her volatile relationship with showrunner Marc Cherry.

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Nicollette Sheridan, 'Desperate Housewives' - In a lawsuit, Sheridan insisted she was wrongfully terminated due to economic and creative reasons, but the ordeal ended in a mistrial.

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Shannen Doherty, 'Charmed' - The on-screen sisters allegedly fought even more offscreen, and Doherty reportedly clashed with costar Alyssa Milano to the point of no return. Producers had no choice but to kill off her character Prue at the hands of a demonic killer in season three.

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Shannen Doherty, 'Beverly Hills, 90210' - It wasn't the first time Doherty got sacked from a popular show. Former '90210' cast member Tori Spelling claimed Doherty was involved in a fight with Jennie Garth, and later admitted to having convinced her dad, show creator and producer Aaron Spelling, to get rid of her.

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Mischa Barton, 'The O.C.' - Marissa Cooper dies in a devastating car crash in the third season, following Barton's reputation as an unmanageable on-set personality and her downward spiral into substance abuse and excessive partying.

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Mandy Patinkin, ‘Criminal Minds’ - The actor was quite vocal about this role being his biggest mistake, that it was destructive to his soul, and potentially ruined his career. He slowly stopped showing up, forcing the writers to kill his character in an offscreen shooting.

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Thomas Gibson, 'Criminal Minds' - Following an altercation with writer/producer Virgil Williams about the script, the show was forced to fire Gibson and write out one of the audience's favorite characters, Aaron Hotchner. Gibson had allegedly been aggressive, moody, and verbally abusive on set for years.

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Cynthia Watros and Michelle Rodriguez, ‘Lost’ - The 2000's phenomenon had two short-tempered stars at the same time. Watros (pictured) and Rodriguez were also both separately arrested for drunk driving in 2005, and on the same night too!

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Cynthia Watros and Michelle Rodriguez, ‘Lost’ - Watros and Rodriguez (pictured) were too much of a liability, and the result was their characters ending up buried next to each other after being shot by the despicable Michael in season two.

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Dominic Monaghan, 'Lost' - So much trouble in Hawaiian paradise! Monaghan's much-loved character Charlie had one of the most surprising deaths on the show when he drowned at the end of season three.

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Dominic Monaghan, 'Lost' - The actor lead his character to death by publicly venting his frustrations about the cast, adding tension to the already strained situation after his bitter split with co-star Evangeline Lilly.

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Columbus Short, 'Scandal' - Shonda Rhimes's TV universe is once again more scandalous offscreen. Short was arrested twice for alleged domestic violence and cocaine abuse, and his character was soon murdered offscreen by a government agent.

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Michael Pitt, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ - Pitt reportedly showed up late, repeatedly forgot his lines, rewrote his dialogue, and constantly questioned his character’s story line. To solve the problem, his character Jimmy Darmody was shot dead in season two.

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Michael Pitt, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ - He caused trouble until the end though, allegedly getting into a fight with costar William Forsythe during his death scene. Even Pitt's own agent got rid of him!

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Heidi Swedberg, 'Seinfeld' - George Constanza's fiancée died by licking fatally toxic wedding envelopes, all because Jason Alexander didn't feel that he and Swedberg had good comedy chemistry.

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Taylor Momsen, 'Gossip Girl' - According to Hollywood Life, Momsen was written out because of her “unreliable and erratic behavior,” as well as her lackluster performances.

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Taylor Momsen, 'Gossip Girl' - Tim Gunn guest-starred as Momsen's fashion mentor on the show, and he's publicly claimed, "What a diva! She was pathetic, she couldn't remember her lines, and she didn't even have that many."

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Maggie Roswell, ‘The Simpsons’ -

Even animated characters aren't safe! Due to a pay dispute between Fox and Roswell after the network reportedly failed to even cover her travel costs, Maude Flanders met her maker in a T-shirt gun accident.

(Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Stana Katic, 'Castle' - 'Castle' was enjoying a successful eight-year run before it all went awry, and it was announced that Detective Kate Beckett wouldn't be returning for season nine, which then turned into a full cancellation of the show.

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Stana Katic, 'Castle' - The actress later said she was "hurt and confused" when the show ended abruptly, although there were rumors of her costar Nathan Fillion bullying her on set.

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Valerie Harper, 'Valerie' - In one of the most surprising TV exits ever, the eponymous star of the show was killed off due to a salary dispute and the actress' alleged disruptive behavior. Harper ended up suing Lorimar Pictures for US$1.8 million.

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Jessica Biel, '7th Heaven' - Biel's character Mary was one of the most popular of the whole Camden family, but the actress wasn't happy with the whole girl-next-door aura surrounding her, so she decided to rebel by chopping her hair and dyeing it blonde.

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Jessica Biel - '7th Heaven' - Her erratic behavior caused peak controversy when she did a racy photoshoot for Gear magazine. Mary ended up being written off the show during season five.

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Danny Masterson, 'The Ranch' - 'The Ranch' star Danny Masterson saw his life engulfed in controversy when four different women came forward and accused him of rape in December 2017.

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Danny Masterson, 'The Ranch' - The story further complicated when it was revealed that one of the alleged victims had already confronted the streaming service's executive Andy Yeatman, who dismissed her claims. Both Yeatman and Masterson were fired right after.

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Matt Lauer, 'Today' - Not even a successful 20-year stint in one of the biggest broadcast shows in the world saved 'Today' anchor Matt Lauer late last year.

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Matt Lauer, 'Today' - Lauer was fired after a colleague filed a complaint for alleged inappropriate sexual behavior. The move happened after NBC faced serious criticism for failing to handle sexual harassment and misconduct within the company.

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Ann Curry, 'Today' - Lauer's former cohost Ann Curry left abruptly in 2012 after only a year. The network blamed the move on bad ratings and a lack of chemistry between her and Lauer.

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Ann Curry, 'Today' - But in the book 'Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV,' author Brian Stelter claimed that she was humiliated by her colleagues and that one of the show's producers conjured a plan to get her fired—and named it Operation Bambi.

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Selma Blair, 'Anger Management' - Even though many fans didn't know about this, Selma Blair's sacking from 'Anger Management' was due to the turbulent relationship between her and costar Charlie Sheen.

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Selma Blair, 'Anger Management' - The tension between the two was so intense that, when Sheen threatened to quit, the producers had no chance but to let Blair go in 2013.

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John Rhys-Davies, ‘Sliders’ - The Welsh actor, who played Professor Maximilian Arturo, regularly complained about the script for the '90s sci-fi show, describing it as "incomprehensible gibberish." The writers took their revenge on his character halfway through its third season.

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Robert Downey Jr., 'Ally McBeal' - Back in 2001, Robert Downey Jr. wasn't exactly living his best life, and it all went downhill when he was arrested for drug use.

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Robert Downey Jr., 'Ally McBeal' - The show's creators had planned to focus on Ally and Larry's wedding and relationship on season five, but all that came to an end following the star's arrest.

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Isaac Hayes, ‘South Park’ -

Chef had the most undignified animated death: he's brainwashed into becoming a child molester, falls off a bridge, gets torn apart by animals, and is last seen soiling himself. Apparently, it was all due to a dispute with Hayes and the showrunners regarding their handling of his Scientology beliefs.

(Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 2.0)

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Lisa Bonet, 'The Cosby Show' and 'A Different World' - Lisa Bonet was ousted from 'The Cosby Show' after her raunchy sex scene in the 1987 movie 'Angel’s Heart.' Bill Cosby was reportedly behind this decision. But previous to this, she was already rumored to have displayed erratic and

uncooperative behavior on set.

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Lisa Bonet, 'The Cosby Show' and 'A Different World' - That same rumored erratic and unprofessional behavior got her fired from the spin-off show 'A Different World.'

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Erinn Hayes, 'Kevin Can Wait' - Hayes's sudden departure from 'Kevin Can Wait' left many fans aghast, especially because her character Donna didn't even get a chance at a proper on-screen death.

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Erinn Hayes, 'Kevin Can Wait' - Although it hasn't been formally explained why Hayes was let go, many believe it was so that Leah Remini's character Vanessa could become Kevin's on-screen love.

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Kim Delaney, 'CSI: Miami' - Kim Delaney's stint in the hit TV show came to an end only a few weeks after it started.

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Kim Delaney, 'CSI: Miami' - The series's producers claimed it was because she lacked chemistry with costar David Caruso, but it is also said that her DUI played an important role in the decision.

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Clayne Crawford, 'Lethal Weapon' - Crawford and costar Damon Wayans were said to have a turbulent relationship behind the scenes, and the star claimed Wayans made his "life miserable on the show."

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