How Jesse Metcalfe Felt After Being Fired from Desperate Housewives

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Jesse Metcalfe is pouring a little water on this wilted role.

More than twenty years after appearing as the teenage gardener John Rowland in the ABC drama, the actor—who later starred in Desperate Housewives—shared how his character developed following his successful debut season in 2004.

Jesse, 47, revealed on the March 17th episode of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast that she was let go after the first season of Desperate Housewives. According to Jesse, the show’s creator, Marc Cherry, felt her storyline had run its course. He explained that the show was about ‘Desperate Housewives,’ not ‘Desperate House-gardeners,’ and therefore she wouldn’t be a regular cast member anymore, though she might return for occasional appearances.

As promised, the character who had an affair with Eva Longoria’s Gabrielle Solis continued to appear on the show for another four years. However, his story concluded in the sixth season when he and Gabrielle ended their relationship, and he moved away to pursue his dream of opening a restaurant.

TopMob News has reached out to ABC and a rep for Cherry for comment but has not heard back.

Honestly, I was a little worried when I heard Jesse was leaving, but he landed on his feet immediately! Can you believe he went straight into John Tucker Must Die? It was HUGE! And the cast! Brittany Snow, Ashanti, Sophia Bush, and Arielle Kebbel… seriously, what a movie! I was so relieved he didn’t just disappear – he totally proved himself with that role. It was amazing to see!

He said he reacted to the news with confidence, thinking, ‘Great, this isn’t a problem. I’m going to be famous!’ He did occasionally experience setbacks, but he didn’t let them bother him much. He believed it was just the start of something big and handled everything calmly.

Jesse has talked about his time on the show and the behind-the-scenes issues on Wisteria Lane before. He recently shared that he didn’t realize there were rumors of conflict between his co-stars – Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, Nicollette Sheridan, Marcia Cross, and Teri Hatcher – during the first few seasons.

Jesse shared at a fan event in Dallas last August that he wasn’t aware of any tension between the show’s female leads. According to People magazine, he said he was too focused on enjoying his work and being grateful for the opportunity to notice any drama. He was simply happy to have a job on the show.

The former Chesapeake Shores star admitted he auditioned for several shows during pilot season, but didn’t get any roles.

Jesse explained that they auditioned for Desperate Housewives during the first pilot season and actually got the part after a recast. That show really launched their career, and they were just enjoying the success and opportunities that followed.

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2026-03-18 17:48