Why Did Rob Lowe Leave West Wing? Here is The Real Reason

Quick Facts

The West Wing series received widespread attention, not just because it is one of the first political dramas ever shown but also as a result of its well-done script and production. It also boasts notable actors like Rob Lowe who gave their best in ensuring the series’ success.

Rob Lowe started his acting career back in 1979 with his role as Tony Flannagan in the TV series A New Kind of Family from 1979 to 1980 as his very first TV role. He has gone on to star in over 90 films and TV series. The actor has earned a couple of award nominations and wins for himself and he is best known for his roles in The West Wing, Brothers and Sister, Parks and Recreation and Wild Bill.

His career came to a climax when he started starring in the political drama TV series The West Wing. However, he left the show at the end of its fourth season after several complicated issues and even till this day, fans of The West Wing are yet to get over Lowe’s exit and therefore still seek to know what prompted their favorite actor to make such a decision, midway through the series.

Background Details On Rob Lowe

He was born as to American parents Charles Davis Lowe, a lawyer and Barbara Lynn Wilson, a teacher. The actor was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, on March 17, 1964. His parents moved down to Ohio, where Rob was basically raised. He attended Oakwood Junior High School in Dayton, Ohio and has three younger siblings, Chad Lowe, Justin Lowe, and Micah Dyer. His parents got a divorce when Rob was very much young. Afterward, his mother took custody of Lowe and his brother Chad. They moved to California and there, Lowe attended Santa Monica High School.

When Lowe was eight, he started pursuing a career in acting. It was then that he began making appearances on local television and doing some theatrical works as well. He began his professional acting career when he started featuring in the American sitcom, A New Kind of Family in 1979. On the TV show, Rob Lowe starred as Tony Flannagan from September 1979 to January 1980.

Rob continued starring in films and TV series, playing main and supportive roles but his most recognizable impact came in 1999 when he was cast as Sam Seaborn in the American political drama TV series The West Wing. Rob’s character is the Deputy White House Communications Director for the first four seasons of the TV series. Across the four seasons Lowe stayed on the series, he was cast in 80 episodes.

Currently, Rob Lowe is set to play a lead role in the soon to be released 2020 TV series 9-1-1: Lone Star.

Why Rob Lowe Left West Wing

Quite often, we see key figures in a TV series leave a particular show while the show is still in production. Fans of West Wing are still not settled on Lowe leaving the show, as many still want to know the reason behind his departure.

According to various sources, Lowe was earning $75,000 per episode and wanted an increment in his salary following an increase in the salary of fellow show-mate Martin Sheen’s salary to more than four times his own. Lowe and the producers of West Wing couldn’t come to an agreement over his salary and it resulted in him saying goodbye after the close of the fourth season of the TV series.

What You Should Know About West Wing

West Wing is an American political drama TV series which aired for 7 seasons with a total of 156 episodes on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The TV series was created by American filmmaker Aaron Benjamin Sorkin and it was produced by John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television, while the latter was also in charge of the show’s distribution.

The show gives an insight into the west wing of the workplace of the President of the United States, The White House. The show starred the likes of Rob Lowe, Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, John Spencer, Allison Janney and Richard Schiff. It was, however, cancelled by the NBC and although no exact reason was given for the cancellation in January 2006, some conclusions have been drawn by the media and fans of the show.

One of the reasons was that the producers ran out of ideas and as a result, public ratings of the show continued to diminish. The death of John Spencer could have also instigated the cancellation of the show. The actor was one of the key personalities on the show following his role as Leo McGarry, the Presidential Chief of Staff and best friend of President Josiah “Jed” Bartle. Some others are of the opinion that the West Wing was cancelled for political reasons.

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