The Ultimate Secrets Behind Community: The Real Reasons Why These Major Actors Left the Show

Summary

Several major actors left "Community" during its run, which contributed to a decline in viewership and the show's inability to fully recover.

Chevy Chase departed from "Community" following an incident where he used a racial slur on set, whereas Donald Glover left due to personal reasons.

Yvette Nicole Brown made the decision to leave "Community" in order to care for her ailing father, while John Oliver opted to focus on his commitments to "The Daily Show" and his own show, "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver."

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With such a beloved ensemble, many fans wonder why Donald Glover left Community or why Chevy Chase was absent from the final few seasons. Community saw several major actors depart during its six-season run. The comedy, created by Dan Harmon, premiered in September 2009 on NBC and gained a loyal fan base, but it never received the same level of support as other network sitcoms like The Office and Parks and Recreation. The decline in viewership coincided with the departure of cast members, which the show never fully recovered from. Some moved on to new projects, while the reasons behind Chevy Chase's departure from Community are more complex.

The story revolved around a study group at Greendale Community College, consisting of Jeff (Joel McHale), Annie (Alison Brie), Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), Pierce (Chevy Chase), Troy (Donald Glover), Abed (Danny Pudi), and Britta (Gillian Jacobs). Ken Jeong and Jim Rash also had roles that expanded over the years, particularly after the departure of cast members. Not all of the original cast remained until the end of Community's sixth season, including creator Dan Harmon. In all fairness, it did take the study group an unusually long six years to graduate from community college.

Why Chevy Chase Left Community

The biggest scandal surrounding departures from the show Community revolves around Chevy Chase and why he left. Chase played the character Pierce Hawthorne, the oldest member of the study group since the show began in 2009. Pierce was known for his outdated beliefs and offensive comments, to put it mildly. Ironically, Chase's own insensitive remarks ultimately led to his departure just before season 5.

During the filming of episode 6, titled "Advanced Documentary Filmmaking," in season 4 of Community, Chase became angry with the direction of the story and ended up using a racial slur. In response to this incident, both Chase and NBC mutually agreed that it would be best for him to leave the show. Previous incidents where colleagues accused Chase of being difficult to work with compounded this decision. Before his departure, Chase completed a few scenes that appeared in the remainder of season 4 and the season 5 premiere.

Why Donald Glover Left Community

Given the overwhelming success and the multitude of talents he has explored since his departure from Community, it is evident that Donald Glover had a clear reason for leaving the show. As the second major character to leave the show after portraying the beloved Troy Barnes from the very beginning, Glover's decision to leave was deeply personal. While some may have believed that he left in order to further his music career as Childish Gambino, which undeniably skyrocketed afterwards, the truth is that the actor's departure was driven by personal issues. After appearing in five episodes of season 5, Troy embarked on a sailing expedition to claim Pierce's inheritance, leaving the fate of his character open-ended. However, Community tantalized viewers by alluding to Troy's future in a thrilling concept for a potential sequel.

Why Yvette Nicole Brown Left Community

Yvette Nicole Brown had been portraying the character of Shirley Bennett since the beginning of the series. She was an integral part of the study group, known for her strong religious beliefs. However, before the official conclusion of the series, Brown made the decision to leave in order to take care of her ailing father. Despite her departure, she returned for the season premiere to wrap up any loose ends and also made a cameo appearance in the series finale episode.

Why John Oliver Left Community

Some fans may have forgotten that John Oliver was once a prominent figure on the show Community, leaving viewers wondering what happened to his character Ian Duncan. Ian was introduced as a psychology professor at Greendale who Jeff Winger enlisted to help with a drunk driving charge. Throughout the first two seasons, Ian appeared regularly and eventually became the anthology professor.

Without any explanation, Ian suddenly left, but returned in season 5, revealing that he had been caring for his sick mother. Rather amusingly, he admits that she neither passed away nor improved, but he felt he had put in enough time and returned. However, Ian does not appear in the show's final season. Oliver's initial departure was due to his focus on his work on The Daily Show, including temporarily hosting in 2013 while Jon Stewart directed a movie. Oliver's second departure was a result of him being given his own show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Why Dan Harmon Left Community

Dan Harmon, although not an actor on Community, played a crucial role as the series creator. However, after three seasons, he was dismissed by NBC due to his erratic behavior on set. This resulted in a decline in the quality of Community season 4, which was dubbed the "gas leak year." Recognizing the significance of Harmon's presence, Joel McHale, the star of the show, advocated for his return for season 5, a request that the network eventually granted. Many fans agree that season 4 felt incomplete without Harmon, leading them to disregard it entirely.

Who Is Returning For ...And A Movie On Peacock?

The tagline "six seasons and a movie" has been a recurring theme in Community. It serves as both a self-aware joke made by the cast, especially Abed, and a genuine goal of the show's creative team. After much speculation and teasing by various cast members, it has finally been announced that a Community movie is in the works. In September 2022, Peacock confirmed that they will release the movie on their streaming service. While the exact release date is not confirmed, it is unlikely that the movie will be released as late as 2024. Therefore, it is expected that the film will be available for streaming in 2023.

In terms of the cast for the Community movie, there is much curiosity surrounding who will be reprising their roles. Joel McHale, who plays Jeff Winger, has been very vocal about the project since the beginning and will definitely be returning. Alison Brie, who portrays Annie, has also discussed the Community movie publicly, suggesting that she will likely be part of the project as well. Some of the main cast members have expressed excitement about the potential of returning to Greendale Community College, with Danny Pudi, the actor who plays Abed, sharing the announcement on his Instagram. Jim Rash, who plays Dean Pelton, and Ken Jeong, who portrays Ben Chang, will both be in the film.

As for the other cast members of Community, it remains uncertain if they will be returning for ...And A Movie. Gillian Jacobs, who plays Britta, and Yvette Nicole-Brown, who portrays Shirley, have been confirmed to return at a later point. The return of Donald Glover, who plays Troy, has been questioned, and Joel McHale addressed this by stating in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

Donald's return is highly significant. The presence of Donald is the key factor here. Nevertheless, I believe everyone else will also be returning. Our chances are looking good so far, and I think it will happen. If not, Donald will still be present.

Regarding the show's most contentious cast member, McHale expressed doubt about Chevy Chase's potential return, stating, "Yeah, I don't think so."

What The Community Cast Did After The Show Ended

While some left before the show's conclusion and others stayed until the very end, nearly all of the Community cast members found notable roles after the series ended. In fact, many of them went on to star in television shows that, while not reaching the same level of popularity as Community, achieved decent success. Gillian Jacobs and Alison Brie joined Netflix to star in Love and GLOW respectively. Ken Jeong headlined his own sitcom, Dr. Ken, for two seasons, while Yvette Nicole-Brown starred in The Odd Couple for three seasons. Currently, fans can catch Danny Pudi in Mythic Quest and Joel McHale in Animal Control.

Out of all the cast members, Donald Glover had the biggest success story coming out of Community. While his portrayal of Troy Barnes stole the spotlight in many scenes, few could have predicted his immensely talented career. In addition to his music as Childish Gambino, Glover also created and starred in Atlanta, which recently concluded its four-season run. He has also appeared in a range of movies, from Solo: A Star Wars Story to The Lion King to the MCU's Spider-Man: Homecoming as Aaron Davis. Interestingly, several Community cast members have made cameo appearances in the MCU, including Danny Pudi, Jim Rash, Yvette Nicole-Brown, and Ken Jeong.