Danny Booko and Nia Sanchez have announced they will not return to the Bravo reality series The Valley for a fourth season. The couple said the recently completed third season would be their last.
In a September 1, 2026, statement on social media, the couple said they were incredibly grateful for the experience but wanted to protect their family's peace. "We are fully committed to each other and our beautiful children," they wrote. They share a four-year-old son, Asher, three-year-old twins Isabelle and Zariah, and a 15-month-old daughter, Adelaide.
Booko faced criticism during the third season over his drinking habits and was accused of inappropriate behaviour. He argued with cast member Lala Kent after she called out the harsh way he spoke to Sanchez while she helped him prepare for a lighthearted drag competition. Booko apologised on Instagram on May 20, citing a "short fuse, stress, alcohol and lack of sleep" and telling Sanchez he should never have taken it out on her. He said balancing parenthood had stretched him in ways he had not fully realised, adding: "I love, honor, and respect you deeply, and I did not show that in some of these moments. I am grateful for you, our family, and this beautiful, chaotic life we have built together. I thank God for you every day."
Jax Taylor also announced he would not return to The Valley for a third season amid growing concern from fans about his behaviour in season two. In July 2025, Taylor said he needed to focus on his sobriety, mental health and coparenting his son Cruz during a nasty divorce from his estranged wife Brittany Cartwright, calling the time away "necessary for me to become the best version of myself, especially for our son, Cruz."
The Bravo departures come amid a series of cast changes across television.
Bravo and streaming reality exits
Amanda Batula will not return for season 11 of the Bravo series Summer House, having been a main cast member since season two. Her departure follows the exit of West Wilson, who walked away from the series in June 2026, weeks before filming began. Wilson and Batula had a secret love affair that nearly destroyed the cast friend group dynamic following season 10. Paige DeSorbo also left Summer House in June 2025 after seven seasons, telling fans on Instagram they had watched her grow up. "Like all good things (and some bad decisions), it is time for this chapter to close," the Giggly Squad podcast cohost wrote.
Former J. Crew creative director Jenna Lyons confirmed on November 21 she would not return for the 16th season of The Real Housewives of New York City. Lyons, who joined the Bravo series in 2022 for season 14, said she had agreed to film as a "friend of" the cast but decided against returning. "I would be the oldest and only openly gay woman on the show and feel like this is an opportunity for a new dynamic to emerge," she wrote.
A-list real estate agent Chrishell Stause announced in November she was done selling mega-mansions on the Netflix reality show Selling Sunset after nine seasons. She said she had reached a place where she did not need the show financially and had other employment, because the series was "no longer good for my mental health." Utah native Whitney Leavitt announced she would leave the Hulu reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives ahead of its fifth season to pursue other professional projects, having previously made her big break on Dancing With the Stars and landed a starring role in Chicago on Broadway.
Network drama cast changes
Joe Miñoso will leave the NBC drama Chicago Fire during its upcoming 15th season, having played firefighter Joe Cruz since the show debuted in 2012. LaRoyce Hawkins is leaving Chicago P.D. after 13 seasons as Officer Kevin Atwater. He will continue his role for several episodes at the top of season 14, premiering later this year, to wrap up his character's storyline.
Reid Scott will leave Law & Order during its 26th season, which premieres in autumn 2026. The Veep actor played Detective Vincent Riley for the past three seasons. Mehcad Brooks previously left the NBC crime drama ahead of its 25th season, shocking fans in 2025 after playing Detective Jalen Shaw for three seasons from 2022.
On ABC's Grey's Anatomy, Kevin McKidd and Kim Raver will make their final appearances in the season 22 finale on May 7, 2026, after playing Dr Owen Hunt and Dr Teddy Altman for nearly 20 years. Ellen Pompeo scrubbed in for the last time as a series regular on the medical drama in February 2023 after 19 years as Meredith Grey. Pompeo told The Drew Barrymore Show in December 2022 that she was 53 and her brain was like "scrambled eggs". "I gotta do something new. You can't do The New York Times crossword puzzle every single day," she said. She continues narrating the series and returned for a May guest appearance.
Sofia Mattsson exited the long-running soap opera General Hospital in the summer of 2025 after seven years playing Sasha Gilmore, whose character left Port Charles for Paris.
Character deaths and conclusions
The third season of the HBO Max medical drama The Pitt will proceed without Supriya Ganesh, whose departure was reported by Variety in April. Her character, Dr Samira Mohan, had planned to take on a new residency program at another medical center. Tracy Ifeachor also walked away from The Pitt after its breakout first season, posting on Instagram on July 10 that it had been an absolute privilege to play Dr Heather Collins.
Several characters have been killed off. In the Wizards of Waverly Place spinoff Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, an August 2026 episode revealed Gregg Sulkin's character, teen love Mason Greyback, had died. His ghost told Selena Gomez's Alex Russo to return to her husband and beautiful daughter, saying: "That is the life that you are meant to live. You have to go back."
Fabien Frankel's Ser Criston Cole was killed in the Riverlands in the July 26, 2026, episode of the Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon.
In the ABC police procedural The Rookie, corrupt lawyer Monica Stevens, played by Bridget Regan, met her end in an April 2026 episode. Regan told TV Insider her character had previously escaped multiple assassinations, prison time and being thrown in a woodchipper. "I wasn't surprised," she said of the death. "I thought, 'Fair enough.' She's had an amazing run, four years on this show. I'm only filled with gratitude."
Rocky Carroll's character, Director Leon Vance, was killed in a shooting with a corrupt agent in the 500th episode of the CBS crime procedural NCIS in March 2026. After 18 years on the show, the character was welcomed to heaven by late Chief Medical Examiner Donald "Ducky" Mallard, played by Adam Campbell.
Zach Gilford will not return for season 20 of Criminal Minds: Evolution on Paramount+. The July 23 season 19 finale confirmed his character Elias Voit was locked up in prison for a murder he took the blame for. Gilford told Us Weekly it was hard to say goodbye to one of his favourite characters. "Every season I got to do a different side of this character. It wasn't like I was just doing the same thing every year," he said.
Peter Krause officially extinguished his role on the ABC drama 9-1-1 in April 2025 when his character, Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Bobby Nash, died. Krause wrote in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter that his character was "written in sacrifice", adding: "First responders risk their lives on the job so that others can see another day. His story arc honors them." Showrunner Tim Minear told Variety that after eight years, someone had to die if they had any hope of creating stories with actual stakes.
Pedro Pascal's character Joel Miller was brutally impaled in an April 2025 episode of the HBO series The Last of Us, similar to how it unfolded in the 2020 Part II video game on which the second season is based. Pascal, who also died on screen in Game of Thrones and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, took his status in stride, joking to Entertainment Weekly: "I get killed a lot. I like to die."
Comedy and streaming departures
Five cast members will not return for the 51st season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live. Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim and Devon Walker announced their exits within days of each other. Longfellow and Walker each spent three seasons on the show, while Wakim exited after one. Weeks later, fan-favourites Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim confirmed they would not return after eight and seven seasons respectively.
French actress Camille Razat confirmed on April 23, 2025, that she would not return for the fifth season of Emily in Paris. She wrote on Instagram that she had made the decision to step away, calling the Netflix series "a truly wonderful experience, one filled with growth, creativity, and unforgettable memories."
Reneé Rapp announced in July 2023 she was leaving the Max comedy The Sex Lives of College Girls ahead of its third season. Rapp wrote on social media that the show moved her to Los Angeles and introduced her to her favourite people. Cocreator Mindy Kaling confirmed the exit on Instagram, saying she was sad to say goodbye to Rapp's character Leighton Murray and referencing the actress's thriving music career and upcoming tour.
Kevin Costner confirmed in June 2024 he would not return to finish out the fifth and final season of the Paramount Network drama Yellowstone. He was rumoured to have unexpectedly walked away from the hit series after four and a half seasons.
Batman vs. Superman star Henry Cavill announced in October 2022 he would step away from the Netflix fantasy drama The Witcher after its third season, writing on Instagram that his journey as Geralt of Rivia had been filled with monsters and adventures. "Alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4," he wrote. Liam Hemsworth will assume the role for season four and potentially beyond.
