LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: On a recent episode of Stitcher Studio's 'Podcrushed' podcast, Rob Lowe, who portrayed the deputy White House Communications Director, Sam Seaborn, in the first four seasons of Aaron Sorkin's popular political drama talked about why he left the show in 2002.
Though the series was a huge success and won four straight Emmys in the category of Outstanding Drama Series, Lowe unexpectedly quit after Season 4. At the time, his departure was portrayed as a professional choice because the character had less to do, but there may have been more to it than that.
Why did Rob Lowe exit 'The West Wing'?
Lowe spoke candidly about his 'The West Wing' experience on the 'Podcrushed' podcast interview. Referring to the show, Lowe declared that it was "a super unhealthy relationship" and quitting was "the best thing I ever did," as per Entertainment Weekly.
"Whenever I talk to actors who complain about, you know, their relationships on their shows, it happens — it happens in any workplace," said Lowe to the hosts Penn Badgley, Nava Kavelin, and Sophie Ansari in an interview recorded before the ongoing strike.
"You could be in an environment where people sandbag you, want to see you fail, don't appreciate you, whatever it is. Whenever I share my stories, people are like, 'I will never share my own stories again.' They would make your hair stand up, and there's some of them I wrote," continued the 'Unstable' actor.
Further, he remarked, "I did not have a good experience," adding that he "felt very undervalued." As he compared his experiences on the show to those of his kids, Lowe claimed that he "tried to make it work" but "I walked away from the most popular girl at school, but I also knew that it was a super-unhealthy relationship, and it was the best thing I ever did."
'There was no longer a place for Sam Seaborn'
With his character running for Congress in his native Orange County, California, Lowe was written off the Emmy-winning show in Season 4. According to a statement released by Warner Brothers Television and John Wells Productions, the decision was taken "amicably."
In a statement at the time, Lowe stated that it had "increasingly clear, for quite a while, that there was no longer a place for Sam Seaborn on The West Wing," adding that their "amicable" split made them "a part of television history," which he would never forget.
The 'Youngblood' actor's unofficial explanation for leaving was that he did not get paid what he wanted, as per Daily Variety. Lowe, who was one of the show's leads at first, made as much as $75,000 each episode in the star, stated the publication.
Later, Lowe appeared in popular productions like 'Brothers & Sisters', 'Parks and Recreation', 'The Grinder', and 'Code Black.' He now plays a firefighter in the Fox drama '9-1-1: Lone Star' and has been a part of the Netflix comedy 'Unstable', which premiered this year.
Interestingly, the actor did return for 'The West Wing's last episode, which aired in 2006, proving again that awful memories fade quicker than good ones.
