Joe Piscopo
Left: Saturday Night Live
Reason: Wanted to Grow His Career
Est. Salary Loss: Unknown
Comedian Joe Piscopo is probably best known for his hilarious Frank Sinatra impression on “Saturday Night Live.” Through all the ups and downs of the show, including a new TV executive overseeing everything, Piscopo remained an “SNL” regular.
But in 1984, Piscopo had enough of the “SNL” scene and wanted to see if he could go higher in his career. He departed the show but his career nearly halted entirely after that.
Anthony Edwards
Left: E.R.
Reason: Wanted to Develop His Directing Career
Est. Salary Loss: Over $350,000 per episode*
Anthony Edwards had it really good on the show "ER." He reportedly had a $35 million contract and played a starring role (that of Dr. Mark Greene). But for the character of Dr. Greene, the grass was a little greener behind the camera.
Edwards was allowed to direct an episode of the show and afterward, he expressed that he wanted to take a pause on acting to pursue directing. Producers complied and Dr. Greene sadly succumbed to cancer in season 8, leaving Edwards free to direct. Unfortunately for Edwards, he hasn’t had nearly as much success with directing as he has with acting.
David Caruso
Left: NYPD Blue
Reason: Contract dispute
Est. Salary Loss: Unknown
David Caruso became one of the best-known faces on the "CSI" franchise with his signature one-liner and sunglasses. Unfortunately, he was also known to be difficult to work with as an actor. He certainly had earned his time having been on "CSI Miami" for a whopping ten seasons, but when he left the franchise and entered into the show, "NYPD Blue," Caruso had some pretty high expectations.
Rumored to have requested a 38-foot trailer as well as at least $100,000 per episode (among other things), this was totally unacceptable to producers. Reaching a stalemate, Caruso hit the road after just a handful of episodes in season two.
Christopher Abbott
Left: Girls
Reason: Creative Differences
Est. Salary Loss: Unknown
Tall, dark, and handsome, Christopher Abbott played Charlie Dattolo, boyfriend to Marnie (played by Allison Williams) on the controversial show, "Girls." Though many fans adored "Girls" for its writing, Abbott wasn’t as enthused. As an actor, he seemed to do his best work when he was connected to his characters and the world they were living in.
Abbott shared with show creator, Lena Dunham, that he could no longer relate to his character, which only frustrated his performance. Since exiting the show, Abbott has done well for himself professionally, having starred in other shows such as "The Sinner" and "Catch-22" and films like "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" and "Black Bear."
Rob Lowe
Left: The West Wing
Reason: Contract Dispute
Est. Salary Loss: $70,000 per episode*
Some may forget that, before he became a bigger name in Hollywood, Rob Lowe starred as Sam Seaborn on "The West Wing." The character was an important one as Seaborn was the White House Director of Communications. After three seasons, however, Lowe was very dissatisfied with his character’s screen time as well as his salary.
When NBC was unwilling to address both of Lowe’s concerns, he decided it was time to go. Today, Lowe says he has no regrets about leaving "The West Wing" and why should he? Lowe has gone on to create a substantial (and well-paying) career for himself as he has starred in many films and TV series since (and is worth $60 million).