Matthew Morrison reveals why he wanted to leave hit show ‘Glee’

Actor Matthew Morrison recently shared his reasons for wanting to leave the popular show “Glee.” In an interview with the ‘And That’s What You Missed’ podcast, Morrison expressed his unhappiness on the set, stating, “I was trying to get off the show.” He revealed that during season 5, he requested to leave because he felt he was no longer being utilized in the way he wanted. Morrison, who portrayed teacher Will Schuester, was eager to pursue other projects, saying, “Maybe if I get off the show, I could go do something else, go do a movie,” and the show’s producers agreed to let him go.

However, plans changed following the tragic death of his co-star Cory Monteith in 2013. Morrison explained, “Cory passed, and then they said they couldn’t do it,” referring to his departure from the show. He acknowledged the difficulty of leaving when both main characters were already departing, saying, “You can’t have the two main guys on the show [leave]. So yeah, it was an interesting time.”

Despite his initial disappointment, Morrison understood the decision and continued to fulfill his role professionally, noting that there was a good pay increase that helped. Reflecting on the changes in his character’s storyline, he admitted feeling initially hurt but later understanding that the audience was more interested in the younger cast members. He said, “I think I took it personally like I was bad, and that’s why my storyline kinda went. But then I look at the demographic of what the show ended up being, you know, it’s like, they don’t wanna see Mr. Schuester, they wanna see all the kids. So that made sense to me.”