The Real Reasons These Sitcom Roles Were Recast

For three seasons of NBC's "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," Janet Hubert portrayed Aunt Viv, Will Smith's aunt and the wife of Philip Banks (James Avery). She was on the show from 1990 until 1993 and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for her performance. It is arguably her biggest part, and certainly the one that she is best known for. Yet, she was ultimately replaced for the remaining three seasons of the show, with Daphne Maxwell Reid taking over the role.

Hubert's reason for departing "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" has only been recently revealed, although there were plenty of rumors. During the reunion show on HBO Max in 2020, the pair sat down and discussed the exit. According to Hubert, her home life was not great after the third season, and she turned down a deal from the studio as it didn't allow her to do any other work. The producers then moved to recast the character rather than negotiate the contract further. According to a Variety article about the reunion, Hubert claimed the move also made it more difficult for the actor to get subsequent jobs in Hollywood.

For four full seasons of the ABC sitcom "Roseanne," Lecy Goranson played the family's oldest daughter, Becky. First introduced as a preteen when the show began, the character aged alongside the actor and developed into an important element of the series. Goranson would appear in a few episodes in Season 5, but was soon written out of the show, with the explanation that she had eloped to Minneapolis with her boyfriend Mark. When the character returned in Season 6, she was played by future "Scrubs" cast member Sarah Chalke.

This wasn't due to some kind of disagreement between Goranson and the studio. Rather, according to Closer, the actor had simply reached 18 years of age and wanted to attend college. When her schedule became too busy, she was unable to appear in "Roseanne." However, the producers wanted the character to return and recast the part with Chalke, although Goranson would return for Season 8.

The two would switch often for the remaining two seasons, with Chalke filling in for Goranson whenever her school classes conflicted with the show's filming. The revival references this when a new character played by Chalke, named Andrea, meets Becky and mentions how much they look alike.

Lisa Robin Kelly played Laurie on the hit Fox sitcom "That '70s Show" from Season 1 up until Season 5, with the character's role growing in prominence during the second and third seasons. Lori was Eric's older sister, who was known to manipulate him and have a string of relationships with different men. But the character suddenly disappeared at the end of Season 3, and wouldn't reappear until the fifth season. The following year, Kelly was replaced by Christina Moore before the role was written out of the show entirely.

In an interview with ABC, Kelly explained that her unexpected exit came about due to her alcohol abuse problem. The addiction emerged after she suffered a miscarriage and was unable to deal with the trauma. Although she made a brief return, her personal issues meant that she wasn't able to stay on the show. Kelly would later run into a number of legal issues, including driving under the influence, and had few other roles on television or in movies. She passed away in 2013 following an accidental overdose while in rehab just months after being arrested for a suspected DUI charge.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

NBC's "Friends" is one of the most successful sitcoms in television history, and had a largely stable cast throughout the 10 years it was on the air. One character that was recast, though, was Ross Geller's (David Schwimmer) first wife Carol Willick. The two characters had a child together. Carol left Ross after coming out as a lesbian. She later enters a relationship with Susan Bunch (Jessica Hecht). In the very first episode of the show, Carol was portrayed by Anita Barone, but was recast with Jane Sibbett from that point on.

The main reason behind the casting change was that Barone quit after filming the first episode, seemingly because she wanted the freedom to pursue larger roles elsewhere (per Digital Spy), which would not have been possible if she remained on "Friends." Carol did play a minor role in the series, especially as it moved forward, so it may not have been a good fit for someone who wanted to star in their own series. In 1995, Barone was a regular in "The Jeff Foxworthy Show," and later appeared frequently in "Daddio," but has otherwise been a guest actor on many different shows.

American actor and singer Jo Marie Payton played Harriette Winslow on "Family Matters" for almost a decade. Before that, she originated the character on the earlier series "Perfect Strangers," and was the main focus of the spin-off, which centered on Winslow living in Chicago with her family. In the ninth and final season, Payton left midway through the run of episodes, and was replaced by Judyann Elder, a veteran theater actor best known on TV from "Martin."

Speaking in a 2010 interview with TV Series Finale, Payton confirmed that she had no regrets about leaving "Family Matters." She also went on to explain exactly why she left the show, revealing there was no big bust-up or controversy. The actor simply wanted to leave the show and move on to new projects. In fact, she had expressed a desire to leave several years previously, but her contract expired after the end of Season 8. When the show moved from ABC to CBS, the producers managed to convince her to film half of the episodes as a way of keeping continuity, but agreed that Payton could leave to pursue other work.

When people think back to NBC's "Seinfeld," they often remember the character of Frank Costanza, embodied by Jerry Stiller. However, Stiller was not the first actor to play George's grumpy father. The role was initially taken on by John Randolph when he made his debut during "The Handicap Spot" (Season 4, Episode 22). After this single appearance, the producers brought in Stiller to play the character in a recurring role from Season 5. With the change in actor, Frank Costanza became angrier and less gentle.

Stiller told Esquire that series co-creator Larry David had wanted Stiller to play the role in the first place. Unfortunately, Stiller was busy at the time with other projects, and was unable to take on the character. When Season 5 was set to film, the producers once again asked Stiller if he was available, and this time he said yes. To maintain continuity, the scenes with Randolph from the fourth season were re-shot so that Stiller was in them. Fans can still see the original version of the episodes, which are included on DVD releases.