You might think studios would have a hard time when actors refuse to follow their instructions or when an actor gets caught up in scandals. After all, this is a performance game where big money is spent on big talent for making a big profit, so one of the best solutions is to fire them.
However, sometimes, studios and filmmakers have shown incredible patience with their unruly actors. How many times have heated arguments on set descended into actual violence? For example, Lawrence Tierney and Quentin Tarantino came to blows but none of them was fired. Directors of "Reservoir Dogs" just considered it as a minor incident, then ignored it and continued recording.
But that's not all cases. In fact, there are a lot of actors who do something so badly on set that the movie plot (and scenes) were changed after they were fired. From fights with writers, and public insults to producers to scandals over political issues, these are the reasons why these actors lost their roles.
Scroll down to see who they are. What do you think about the studios' decisions with these actors? Let us know your opinions in the comments below.
#1 Sharon Osbourne ("The Talk")
Source: Cbs Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images
In March 2021, Sharon Osbourne was fired from "The Talk" after an on-air debate about racism that resulted in allegations of racially-charged comments being investigated internally. And Sharon was found guilty of conduct that was inconsistent with the show's values.
#2 Jay Johnston (Jimmy Pesto, "Bob's Burgers")
Source: Jeff Vespa / WireImage / Getty Images
Jay Johnston, who voiced Jimmy Pesto on "Bob's Burgers", got fired for allegedly taking part in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. He wasn't one of the people who were detained or accused by the police, but a number of images and videos showed him among the insurrectionists.
#3 Stana Katic (Kate Beckett, "Castle")
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Stana Katic was initially rumored to have left "Castle" but it was later discovered that she had been fired in a seemingly budgetary decision. However, behind the scenes, speculation about her clashes with co-star Nathan Fillion was thought to be the main cause of her termination.
#4 Thomas Gibson (Aaron Hotchner, "Criminal Minds")
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On the set of "Criminal Minds", Thomas Gibson was known to be a hothead. After an incident in 2010, it was alleged that the production required him to attend anger management lessons. After kicking a writer over creative differences, he was let go from the program in 2016.
#5 Janet Hubert (Vivian Banks, "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air")
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Janet Hubert and Will Smith recently dealt with the issues causing tension between them on the set of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". Besides the constant clash of personalities, coupled with Janet's troubles from life off-set, Janet turned down an opportunity that would have offered her limited screen time on the program but prevented her from pursuing other chances in her free time.
#6 Charlie Sheen ("Two And A Half Men")
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Who could forget how Charlie Sheen openly insulted "Two And A Half Men" producer Chuck Lorre while going through a public meltdown? The producer had been patient with Sheen through several controversies, but when Sheen publicly called Lorre a "clown" and a "stupid, stupid little man" it was the final straw.
#7 Lisa Kudrow (Roz Doyle, "Frasier")
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Many people didn't know that Lisa Kudrow was actually supposed to play Roz Doyle, Frasier Crane's radio show producer on "Frasier" before she was cast as Phoebe Buffay on "Friends." The crew concluded she didn't have the right chemistry with the other cast members a few days into filming the pilot. Her career was about to be over, but then "Friends" came along.
#8 Erinn Hayes (Donna Gable, "Kevin Can Wait')
Source: Jason Laveris / FilmMagic / Getty Images
Erinn Hayes seemed to get fired from "Kevin Can Wait" so that showrunners could explore the possibility of another Kevin James-Leah Remini comedy. And they decided to take the series in another direction.
#9 Gina Carano (Cara Dune, "The Mandalorian")
Source: Rodin Eckenroth / WireImage / Getty Images
Gina Carano got fired from "The Mandalorian" after a tweet comparison between being a Republican in the political atmosphere of 2021 and being a Jew during the Holocaust. Although it wasn't the first time she took offense by her political statements, the network believed it was the last time they could be associated with it.
#10 Suzanne Somers (Chrissy Snow, "Three's Company")
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Suzanne Somers lost her job because of something so many of us are still fighting for today: equal pay. She was fired after requesting a pay increase from $30,000 to an amount closer to what co-star John Ritter was rumored to be making, $150,000 per episode.
#11 Robert Downey Jr. (Larry Paul, "Ally McBeal")
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During his time on "Ally McBeal," Robert Downey Jr. was still struggling with substance abuse. His character, Larry Paul, Ally's love interest, was finally written out of the show as a result of a string of arrests in 2001.
#12 Selma Blair (Kate Wales, "Anger Management")
Source: Mark Davis / WireImage / Getty Images
Charlie Sheen is accused of involving in Selma Blair's firing from "Anger Management", texting her directly to request her termination from the film and calling her a "c—t" in a text. After Selma expressed her displeasure with the actor's work ethic, which was shared by many on the set, he exploded.
#13 Shannen Doherty (Brenda Walsh, "Beverly Hills, 90210")
Source: Mikel Roberts / Sygma via Getty Images
Shannen Doherty was known to be unlikable on set, which escalated when she was accused of having a quarrel with her co-star Jennie Garth. After breaking up the relationship, according to Tori Spelling, she informed her father, executive producer Aaron Spelling, and then got Shannen fired. Tori says that even now, she still feels bad about it. “I felt like I was a part of something, a movement, that cost someone their livelihood," Spelling told Us Weekly. "Was she a horrible person? No. She was one of the best friends I ever had.”
#14 Isaiah Washington (Dr. Preston Burke, Grey's Anatomy)
Source: Vera Anderson / WireImage / Getty Images
When Isaiah Washington unloaded an anti-gay slur to refer to their co-star T.R. Knight, he was in the middle of a fight with Patrick Dempsey. The stressful situation cleared the set. Washington made an effort to mend his ways, but that season he was dismissed.
#15 Lori Loughlin (Aunt Becky Donaldson-Katsopolis, "Fuller House")
Source: Getty Images
After she and her husband's participation in the college admissions scandal, Lori Loughlin was fired from her recurring role as Aunt Becky on "Fuller House" and her part in the Hallmark movie When The Heart Calls. While the show's final season was being recorded, Lori finally served time in prison.
#16 Chadwick Boseman (Reggie Montgomery, "All My Children")
Source: Getty Images
"All My Children" was Chadwick Boseman's first acting role, which is why he wondered whether or not to speak up about his concerns over his character, Reggie Montgomery. After a week of filming, Chadwick believed the role was being written too stereotypically and finally said something that caused him to be sacked.
#17 Taylor Momsen (Jenny Humphrey, "Gossip Girl")
Source: Getty Images
During her tenure as Jenny Humphrey on "Gossip Girl," Taylor Momsen discovered that her enthusiasm for acting was waning. Her plot suffered a considerable chop because she proved to be "unreliable" on filming. She apparently had disagreements with the show's producers about the usage of two Leighton Meester co-songs star's rather than her own music.
#18 Matt Lauer (Today)
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After allens of sexual misconduct in the workplace were confirmed by an independent NBC investigation, Matt Lauer was dismissed in 2017. In 2019, other charges were filed against him. disgraced TV presenter emerges. He has refuted each and every charge.
#19 Whoopi Goldberg (The View)
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Whoopi Goldberg was suspended for two weeks from "The View" for comments made on-air. Outrage was generated when Goldberg asserted that the Holocaust was "not about race" in a discussion on book banning. Despite her prompt apology, the network decided to suspend her.
#20 Columbus Short (Harrison Wright, "Scandal")
Source: Allen Berezovsky / WireImage / Getty Images
Columbus Short was let go from "Scandal", where he played Harrison Wright for three seasons. He had been detained a month prior on suspicion of assaulting a patron of a Los Angeles restaurant. Later, Short acknowledged that he had used cocaine and alcohol while going through a divorce and child custody dispute.
#21 Chris Cuomo (Cuomo Tonight)
Source: Jim Spellman / WireImage
Chris Cuomo was fired from CNN, where he hosted "Cuomo Tonight", after investigations about a sexual misconduct allegation.
#22 Roseanne Barr (Roseanne Conner, "Roseanne")
Source: Theo Wargo / Getty Images for NBC
Roseanne Barr wasn't exactly fired by ABC, instead, they canceled her entire series reboot in 2018 in response to a slew of her racist tweets. In the end, the show was remade as "
The Conners", with the family moving on from the previous namesake matriarch's death.
#23 Stassi Schroeder ("Vanderpump Rules")
Source: Jean Baptiste Lacroix
After discovering that Stassi Schroeder and castmate
Kristen Doute had once called the police on Faith Stowers for a crime she had no participation in, Bravo fired Stassi Schroeder from "Vanderpump Rules". The incident later came to light when people called for the network to deal with a number of cast members who behaved improperly both on and off camera while discussing race.
#24 Nicolette Sheridan, (Edie Britt, "Desperate Housewives")
Source: Bob D'amico / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
Nicolette Sheridan got as fired from her role as Edie Britt on "Desperate Housewives" after saying to have been a poisonous working relationship with program creator Marc Cherry. She even brought a wrongful termination claim, which was eventually denied in 2017. At that point, Nicolette's legal team appealed the decision.