More than a decade after Desperate Housewives came to an end, Jesse Metcalfe reveals why he was “fired” from the ABC drama after the first season.
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While appearing on the podcast Not Skinny But Not Fat, Metcalfe, who played teen gardener John Rowland who had an affair with Eva Longoria’s character, discussed his departure from the show.
“I was fired from Desperate Housewives,” he explained. “After the first season, they didn’t really know where else to take my storyline.”
Recalling how he was fired from the show, Metcalfe said, “Our creator Marc Cherry was kinda like, ‘Hey, this isn’t Desperate House–Gardeners. This is Desperate Housewives. So, unfortunately, you know, you’re not gonna be a series regular moving forward on the show. We’re gonna bring you back intermittently.'”
“And at that time, I had been offered [2006 film] John Tucker Must Die from 20th Century Fox,” he continued. “So I was like, ‘Hey, cool, no big deal, I’m gonna be a movie star.'”
Metcalfe noted that he came back to the show intermittently but wasn’t “hit super hard.”
“I took it in stride,” he pointed out. “Because I thought, ‘This is only the beginning.'”
Metcalfe Previously Spoke About the “Pressure” That Came With His Desperate Housewives Role
This isn’t the first time that Metcalfe has reflected on his time on Desperate Housewives.
During a 2021 interview with i-D Magazine, the actor discussed the “pressure” that came with his role on Desperate Housewives.
“Being a sex symbol is very much about the roles that you play, and my roles put me up on a pedestal,” he explained. “But my appearance was also criticized and picked apart by a lot of people in the media. Having your shirt off in every episode of Housewives brought a lot of pressure.”
Metcalfe said it was important for him to stay in the best shape he could. “Then between projects, everyone expects you to stay in that shape 24/7, 365. That’s not realistic.”
“That’s why paparazzi catch actors between projects looking ‘out of shape,'” he then added. “They’re taking time off, and that includes the gym.”
Per IMDb, Desperate Housewives follows a close-knit group of housewives reside in Wisteria Lane. Although it may appear to be a perfect neighborhood, Wisteria Lane hides many secrets, crimes, forbidden romances and domestic struggles.
The show, which starred Eva Longoria,Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman and Marcia Crossran, ran from 2003 to 2012.