Following Topher Grace’s leave from That 70’s Show, Ashton Kutcher also decided it was time to leave. He wanted to move on to other roles and keep his career moving forward. On the show, they wrote him off as getting a job and having to move to Chicago.
Kutcher did not think he was going to last on the show as long as he did. He really attributes his growth as an actor to his role on That 70s Show and ended up leaving when scheduling became an issue while filming The Guardian. He also replaced another disappeared actor, Charlie Sheen, on the show Two and a Half Men.
Lisa Edelstein On House
On the medical drama, House, Dr. Cuddy, played by Lisa Edelstein, was House’s love interest. She was brilliant, beautiful and led the operations of the hospital. It was a major surprise to fans when she left the show before the end of the run.
Lisa Edelstein was given a pay cut when season 8 came. She was expected to renew her contract for the season, but not after she saw that pay cut. However, it wasn't just for her, the entire show had to cut their budget. She declined, did not counter, and left the show. She is doing fine, however, and starring in a new show.
Isaac Hayes on South Park
The praised animated comedy series South Park is best known for being raunchy and offensive with some truly shocking and raw meaning, taking a satirical look at different events. While fans of the show are used to South Park being overly offensive, one episode particularly put Isaac Hayes, who voiced the character Chef, a bit over the edge.
It was the famous episode "Trapped in the Closet" that dug into Scientology. Hayes thought that making fun of people's religion was just a step too far.
Christopher Jacob Abbott on Girls
Fans of Girls will remember Charlie as Marnie's on-and-off boyfriend slash inventor of some app. He was suddenly written off the show with little explanation to viewers. Later it was reported that he left the show due to "creative differences" with creator and star Lena Dunham.
According to sources Jacob started to clash with Dunham at the beginning of the third season.' He didn’t like the direction things are going in, which seems a bit odd since the show put him on the map.' What do you think?
BJ Novak on The Office
BJ Novak was just one of the many stars of the hit series The Office for its first eight seasons before bowing out alongside Mindy Kaling in its ninth season. But unlike Kaling, Novak didn't leave for a different show but instead wanted to invest his time working on personal projects.
“For me, it was more [the worry of] seeming distracted from my main work by a side project I was oddly passionate about," Novak said. "And side projects – especially from celebrities – don’t tend to be successful either, they tend to be distractions.”