Some actors leave their most popular roles to find even more success, think George Clooney
or Bruce Willis.
But sometimes that doesn’t go according to plan.
Here are some actors who destroyed their careers by walking away from hit roles.
For fifteen seasons, Pauley Perrette played fan-favorite forensic scientist Abby Sciuto
on NCIS.
In 2018 however, things took a dark turn, when she suddenly left the show and made a
series of cryptic tweets, including one about about co-star Mark Harmon, who was supposedly
the reason behind her immediate departure, saying,
"There is a 'machine' keeping me silent and feeding FALSE stories about me.
A very rich, very powerful publicity 'machine'.
No morals, no obligation to truth, and I'm just left here, reading the lies, trying to
protect my crew.
Trying to remain calm.
He did it.”
Harmon hasn’t responded to Perrette’s allegations, but CBS’s Kelly Kahl, the network’s
president of entertainment, confirmed in a public statement that she did indeed come
to the network, and that it had been resolved to ‘everyone’s satisfaction.’
"I will always be grateful just for the incredible honor of playing Abby."
After leaving NCIS, her career slowed down considerably.
Pauley will be starring in a 2020 CBS pilot called Broke, but unfortunately, the new sitcom
hasn't garnered much buzz.
"It really makes me sad."
Wil Wheaton first received acclaim for playing Gordie Lachance in the 1986 coming-of-age
film Stand By Me.
But it wasn’t until the following year he landed the career-defining role of Wesley
Crusher aboard the USS Enterprise, on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
After four seasons on Star Trek, Wheaton left the show in order to pursue different opportunities
in TV and Film, but sadly for him, this move sunk his career early on.
He explained during a Star Trek reunion at the Calgary Expo in 2012,
"I left Star Trek: The Next Generation when I was 18 years old, and initially I thought
that it was a really smart business career move.
In some ways it was, and in more ways, it wasn't.
And, what I was unprepared for was how much I was going to miss the people on this stage."
Wheaton's career never reignited like he hoped, despite a recurring role playing himself on
The Big Bang Theory about a decade.
Back when American Idol first aired in 2002, it became an instant hit.
The reality TV singing competition launched the careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood,
and Fantasia.
One who failed to launch was Ryan Seacrest's co-host of the first season, Brian Dunkleman.
Dunkleman left Idol to pursue, wait for it, a career in stand-up comedy.
Seacrest, on the other hand, hasn't faced the same career obstacles Dunkleman did after
leaving Idol.
In fact, he's doing just fine after inking a $21 million dollar deal with E! in 2006
and co-hosting Live with Kelly and Ryan.
Dunkleman’s plan didn't quite hash out,
"I knew to continue on the show, I thought I'm never going to have an acting career,
and, bottom line, announced in Daily Variety that I was quitting."
In a September 2019 GQ article, he said,
"It came down to whether to keep both of us or go with one host.
They decided to go with one, and obviously, I wasn't the one.
They told me that I quit before they could deliver the news."
He revealed in a January 2019 tweet that he'd started driving an Uber to support his family
during a particularly rough patch in their lives.
All hope is not lost, however, Dunkleman saw a return to the stage hosting Family Feud
Live: Celebrity Edition, and relaunched his comedy career late in 2019.
After more than seventeen years off the air, the beloved and iconic sci-fi series Doctor
Who returned in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston cast as the Ninth Doctor.
The marriage seemed bright at first, but after just one season, he quit because of creative
differences with the show's producers.
He was replaced by David Tennant, who held the role for the next eight years and became
a megastar.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2018, Eccleston revealed that his decision to leave the show
had almost cost him his entire career.
"I gave them a hit show and I left with dignity and then they put me on a blacklist.
I was carrying my own insecurities as it was something I had never done before and then
I was abandoned, vilified in the tabloid press, and blacklisted."
Beverly Hills, 90210, was an instant classic when it premiered in 1990.
The entire cast of attractive young adults were virtual unknowns when the teen drama
first debuted but after a decade-long run, the actors truly became megastars.
But that success didn’t last long for Jason Priestley, who played teen heartthrob Brandon
Walsh.
After nine seasons on Beverly Hills, he decided to leave because he felt his character had
run its course.
Priestley told CNN in 2014,
"In retrospect, I do regret leaving.
Understanding what I do now about story and character, I believe that [Aaron Spelling]
was pushing the story in a direction that would have had Brandon and Kelly end up together
at the end of the show, and I think I probably should have stuck around to its fruition."
Priestley attempted to relaunch his career again in 2019 with a role in the series revival,
BH90210, but unfortunately for him, it was canceled after just one season.
Sadly for fans of Beverly Hills, 90210, Brandon and Kelly never got together.
Alicia "Lecy" Goranson played the original Becky on ABC's Roseanne, but following 5 seasons
on the show, Lecy decided to call it quits to go to college.
After she left, Becky's role was taken over by Sarah Chalke, who later went on to Scrubs
fame.
The show adjusted, but made reference to the bizarre change often.
"They say she's the same but she isn't the same."
Goranson returned to share the role with Chalke three seasons later, but left the show the
following season.
Goranson's acting career was off to a promising start when she landed a role in two indie
hits: 1995's How To Make an American Quilt and 1997's Boys Don't Cry.
Her career slowed down quickly afterward and she mostly took on guest roles on shows like
Law & Order: SVU, Damages, Fringe, and Sex and the City.
But things changed in 2018 when she reprised her role as Becky in the Roseanne reboot.
The show premiered to massive ratings, but was canceled after Barr posted racist tweets
about former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett.
Goranson once wrote in a now-deleted tweet,
"Devastated by the cancellation of @RoseanneOnABC.
But more devastating are the effects of hate speech and racism on individuals and society.
Thank you for your support.
And, in the spirit of our amazing crew, spread love not to hate!"
But all is not lost, Goranson still plays the role of Becky once again in the current
Roseanne-less The Conners.
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