Janai Norman is saying good night to Good Morning America.
The weekend news co-host announced she’s leaving the show after almost four years, explaining that her time there ended sooner than expected.
In a video posted to Instagram on April 3, she shared how much she’s enjoyed her work. She said it’s been wonderful connecting with both her colleagues and viewers, and building a community through keeping people informed and entertained. She expressed sadness that she wasn’t able to properly say goodbye.
“I’m so sorry that I don’t get to say goodbye,” Janai continued. “It would have been fun.”
Despite everything, the 36-year-old is staying positive and excited to have more time with her three young children.
Honestly, I’ve sacrificed so much for them – every weekend, for years! So now that they’re getting more of my time and attention, it makes it all worthwhile. It truly does. It’s everything to me.
She expressed her gratitude for all the love and support she’s received, and hinted at sharing more details when she’s ready.
As Janai leaves, her coworkers at GMA have been sending her lots of support. Robin Roberts even commented, saying, “You are a true gem and thoroughly enjoyed working with you.”
The journalist added, “I treasure our friendship.”
Janai’s co-host, Whit Johnson, shared similar heartfelt sentiments, writing, “So grateful for all the memories and moments we’ve shared. Wishing you all the best in your next chapter!”
Meanwhile, her fellow co-anchor Gio Benitez wrote, “Love you so very much.”
GMA meteorologist Ginger Zee echoed the positive feelings, sending Janai a message of support saying, “Keep shining friend – so much love.”
Janai made a real difference to many people, and ABC News’ Deborah Roberts even shared a message saying, “Wishing you bigger and better journeys ahead.”
Added The View host Sunny Hostin, “I look forward to seeing the next step Janai!”
Janai began her career with the network as an intern in 2011. Before becoming a part of GMA, she worked as a correspondent for ABC News and also co-hosted World News Now and America This Morning.
For more surprising TV departures, read on.
Samira Mohan is leaving the show The Pitt. According to Variety, actress Supriya Ganesh will also not be back for the third season of the HBO Max drama.
Honestly, Ganesh leaving wasn’t that surprising to me or most of the fans, I think. His character had been laying the groundwork for a while, talking about applying for a new residency at a different hospital. It felt like a natural progression for the story, so while sad, it didn’t come completely out of the blue.
In a March 2026 episode, the show said farewell to Director Leon Vance, a character played by Rocky Carroll, after 18 years on the series. Vance first appeared in season five and met his end in the 500th episode during a shootout with a dishonest agent. The scene depicted his arrival in heaven, where he was greeted by the late Donald “Ducky” Mallard, played by Adam Campbell.
In 2025, Mehcad Brooks surprised viewers by announcing his departure from the NBC crime show before its 25th season.
Brooks, who joined the show in 2022, portrayed Detective Jalen Shaw for three seasons.
Jenna Lyons has confirmed she won’t be back for season 16 of The Real Housewives of New York City.
Confirming the speculation, the former J. Crew Creative Director announced on Instagram on November 21st that she would be joining season 16 of RHONY as a ‘friend of.’ She explained that, because of her personal circumstances, she and the show agreed it was best not to film her private life.
The fashion icon, who started on the Bravo show in 2022 for its fourteenth season, realized she didn’t want to be just a supporting player.
After careful consideration, I’ve decided not to return to the show,” she explained. “I’d be the oldest and only openly gay woman on the cast, and I believe this is a chance for something fresh to happen.”
After nine seasons, the A-list realtor is done selling mega-mansions on the Netflix reality show.
In November, Chrishell shared on social media that she’s no longer reliant on the show for income. She explained that she’s fortunate to have other work and that continuing with the show was negatively affecting her well-being.
Jax Taylor has confirmed he won’t be participating in season three of The Valley. This decision comes after viewers expressed concerns about his actions during the previous season.
In July 2025, the Bravo star, who is going through a difficult divorce with Brittany Cartwright, explained that he needs to prioritize getting sober, improving his mental health, and being a good coparent. He believes taking this time to focus on himself is essential, particularly for the sake of his son, Cruz.
Several cast members from Saturday Night Live recently announced they won’t be back for the show’s 51st season, with the news coming within a short period of time for each of them.
Longfellow and Walker each spent three seasons on SNL while Wakim exited after just one season.
As a longtime observer of the entertainment scene, I’m seeing some significant changes at Saturday Night Live. Following the departures of Longfellow, Walker, and Wakim, two more beloved cast members, Gardner and Nwodim, have announced they won’t be back for season 51. Gardner gave eight seasons to the show, and Nwodim contributed seven – both will be greatly missed!
Sofia Mattsson finished her role on the long-running soap opera in the summer of 2025, after seven years as Sasha Gilmore. Her character moved to Paris as part of the storyline.
Tracy Ifeachor, who starred in the popular HBO Max series The Pitt, decided to leave after its successful first season.
The actress shared on Instagram on July 10th how honored she was to play Dr. Heather Collins in what she described as a truly innovative season of the show. She also thanked viewers for watching, supporting the first season, and sharing their personal stories with her.
Even though fans likely expected Joel Miller, played by Pedro Pascal, to die – his fate in April 2025 mirrored the events of The Last of Us Part II, the video game the second season of The Last of Us is based on – the shocking way his character was killed still came as a surprise.
Pascal, known for dying in roles on shows like Game of Thrones and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, wasn’t surprised by his character’s fate. He playfully told Entertainment Weekly, “I’m used to it – I actually enjoy dying on screen!”
Following what he called a “wild adventure,” Peter Krause finished his run as Captain Bobby Nash on the drama 9-1-1 in an episode airing in April 2025.
According to a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, the character Bobby Nash was intentionally created to make a powerful sacrifice. Creator Dick Wolf explained that first responders consistently put themselves in danger to save others, and Bobby Nash’s storyline was designed to pay tribute to their bravery.
The decision to kill off a fan-favorite, yet troubled, firefighter was definitely controversial, showrunner Tim Minear told Variety. He explained that after eight seasons, they needed to raise the stakes for future storylines, and that meant someone had to die to make the stories feel truly impactful.
Summer just got a little less fun.
Okay, so, like, I’m still reeling, but Paige DeSorbo announced she’s leaving the show in June 2025! Seven seasons! Seven amazing seasons, and now she’s moving on? I can’t even. It feels like a piece of my life is ending, honestly. I’ve watched her since the beginning, and it’s just… heartbreaking. I’m trying to stay positive, but it won’t be the same without her!
After sharing seven summers with you all, I’m so thankful for the memories, the support, and everything this journey has given me,” the Giggly Squad podcast host wrote on Instagram. “But it’s time to move on to new things, just as all chapters eventually come to an end.
The popular Netflix show won’t have the French actress in its fifth season, which is set to release in April 2025. She has confirmed she won’t be returning.
In an Instagram post on April 23rd, the actress announced she’s leaving Emily in Paris. She shared photos with her former co-stars and described her time on the show as a fantastic experience full of growth, creativity, and cherished memories.
Before the third season of The Sex Lives of College Girls begins, Reneé Rapp has announced she will no longer be part of the show.
She shared on social media in July 2023 that the show College Girls brought her to Los Angeles and connected her with many of her closest friends. She added that, after two and a half years, it’s also given her a wonderful community of fans like you.
Mindy Kaling, one of the show’s creators, also confirmed that Renee Rapp was leaving. She shared on Instagram that they were sad to see Leighton Murray go, but excited to support Rapp’s upcoming music tour and career. Kaling expressed a lot of love for Rapp.
I still can’t believe it! For over a year, there were whispers that Kevin Costner had suddenly left ‘Yellowstone’ after four and a half amazing seasons, and now it’s confirmed! He officially said in June 2024 that he won’t be back to finish the fifth and final season. It just…it breaks my heart! I was so invested in his character, and now it feels like the whole show is changing. I’m devastated he’s not seeing it through to the end.
Okay, so it killed me, honestly, but February 2023 was the last time I saw Meredith Grey – Ellen Pompeo – as a full-time doctor on Grey’s Anatomy. After nineteen years, she hung up her scrubs as a series regular! I’m still not over it, but I’m trying to cope.
Pompeo said on The Drew Barrymore Show in December 2022 that she needed to try new things. She explained that at 53, her mind feels scattered, and she can’t keep doing the same routine, like the New York Times crossword puzzle, every day. Despite this, she did return for a guest appearance in May and continues to narrate the series.
But she’s not gone for good. Pompeo still pops in and out of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
Henry Cavill, known for playing Superman and Batman, has announced he’s leaving the Netflix series The Witcher after its third season. Liam Hemsworth will take over the role of Geralt, starting with season four and likely continuing in future seasons.
In an October 2022 Instagram post, Henry Cavill announced that his time playing Geralt of Rivia was coming to an end. He shared that he wouldn’t be returning for Season 4, saying he was putting down his Witcher medallion and swords.
Jesse Lee Soffer, an original cast member, left the show in 2022 after playing Detective Jay Halstead for 10 seasons.
Everyone involved with the show put their heart and soul into making each week’s episode, and it’s been a rewarding experience,” said Jesse Soffer after his last episode aired on October 5th. “I’m incredibly proud of my time playing Detective Jay Halstead.
After five seasons, Damian Lewis departed Showtime’s Billions in Oct. 2021.
In August 2021, Emily VanCamp left the TV show The Resident on Fox, marking the end of her role as a doctor on the series.
Madeleine Mantock, who played Macy on the CW’s Charmed reboot, decided to leave the show after three seasons. She announced her departure in 2021, calling the role a great opportunity and expressing her appreciation for the show’s producers, writers, cast, and crew. She said she had a wonderful experience working with everyone.
Elizabeth Keen will never learn the truth about Raymond Reddington. Actress Megan Boone decided to leave NBC’s The Blacklist after eight seasons, and her character was killed off before she could read a letter containing the big reveal. Boone announced the end of her time as Liz in 2021 with an Instagram post, calling the experience “a dream.”
The second season of Bridgerton didn’t include Rege-Jean Page, who became a fan favorite in the first season of the popular Netflix drama. Fans were disappointed when it was announced in 2021 that he wouldn’t be returning.
He told Vanity Fair that he simply did the work he’d agreed to, and then took on additional assignments. He admitted he wished there was a more exciting story behind it all.
Ruby Rose first appeared as Batwoman (Kate Kane) in a 2018 Arrowverse event and then led the CW’s Batwoman series for one season. This was a historic moment, as she became the first openly lesbian superhero to star in her own show. However, she announced her departure from the series just two days after the first season concluded in 2020. In season two, Javicia Leslie took over the role, playing a new character named Ryan Wilder who becomes the new Batwoman.
Later on in season two, Kate got a bit of a face swap and returned played by Wallis Day.
America Ferrera left the show Superstore after its fifth season in 2020, which meant Cloud 9 lost its manager and the series lost a main character. Although she appeared in the first two episodes of season six due to pandemic-related delays, she ultimately returned for the show’s final episode to give her character, Amy, and Jonah (Ben Feldman) a satisfying conclusion to their story.
In the final episode of season four of the Syfy series The Magicians, Jason Ralph’s character, Quentin, successfully rescued Eliot, played by Hale Appleman, but died in the process. Although the show often deals with death—it is called The Magicians—Ralph did not reprise his role for the show’s fifth and final season.
Ahead of the final season, Arrow‘s Emily Bett Rickards announced her exit in a poem of sorts.
Felicity and I are very close, but after the seventh episode, we’ll be leaving the show, as I wrote.
She did, however, return for a guest appearance in the show’s 2020 series finale.
Lauren Cohan initially left The Walking Dead in 2018 after difficult contract talks. While she appeared in a few episodes of season nine, her character, Maggie Greene, disappeared after a time jump of six years. Producers wanted her to come back, and when her TV show Whiskey Cavalier on ABC was canceled, she did. Cohan returned to The Walking Dead in October 2020 with the sixteenth episode of season ten.
Honestly, losing Rick was bad enough, but when Danai Gurira announced she was leaving The Walking Dead… it nearly broke me! She came in during season three as Michonne, and that katana! She was just amazing. Her last episode aired way back in March 2020, and it felt like a piece of the show died with her. It’s just… it hasn’t been the same since.
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2026-04-07 13:18