26. Michael Weatherly
Exited: NCIS
Reason: He Had Squeezed Out All That He Could Give
Est. Salary Forfeiture: $26 million per each season of the program*
Tony DiNozzo actually was portrayed by Michael Weatherly, who was a crowd favorite for the program. After an amazing 305 episodes ending with season 13, he finally hang up his part for the program. After finding out that a family member was caught in the middle of a conflict which led to their death. Weatherly’s surprising resignation was really caused by his feeling of “exhaustion” after many years of doing the show.
26 Michael Weatherly
Despite the fact that quitting such a long-running program may be dangerous for his career, he decided to try out other acting jobs. A courtroom drama program on CBS called Bull was among Weatherly’s earlier performances. His choice to quit was partly influenced by his disappointment over actress Cote de Pablo’s resolution, one of his co-stars, leaving the show.
27. Skeet Ulrich
Exited: Riverdale
Reason: Passion for the program (and the industry as a whole) diminished
Est. Salary Forfeiture: $40,000 per installment*
Skeet Ulrich proceeded to social media to address his supporters about his exit from the popular teen drama only after four short seasons, using an approach that isn’t as subtle of a jab at Riverdale’s producers. On the Riverdale program, Ulrich portrayed F.P., Jughead’s father.
27 Skeet Ulrich
When asked by a supporter why he departed, he responded that he “grew bored artistically” and desired to just proceed with other things in his life. Ulrich paused until several months after leaving the program to make his reason more understandable for fans to comprehend his reasoning for the decision. Marisol Nichols, one of his co-stars, followed him out the door.
