Holland Taylor Explains Decision Not to Renew Her ‘Two & a Half Men’ Contract

Holland Taylor is opening up about why she decided not to renew her contract on “Two and a Half Men,” bringing her time on the hit sitcom to an end.

In an interview with “Alchemy with Anthony Mason” on Thursday, October 22, the 83-year-old actress, who starred as Evelyn Harper on the series, explained why she took a step back from the role.

“I stopped being under contract,” Taylor shared . “So, in other words, they would say, ‘Can you do a guest appearance at the end of March?’ And I would say, ‘No, I cannot.’ And I only did it if I wanted to do it.”

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What Led to Holland Taylor’s Exit From Two & a Half Men

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Taylor clarified that not being under contract was “absolutely” her choice, adding that it had to do with not being paid well.

“In fact, they were astonished because when your contract runs out is when people usually back up the truck,” she added. “And they never paid me very well on that show.”

Taylor continued, “I was paid on that show what I had made on a series like eight years before or something. And I got, you know, four Emmy nominations and they never gave me raise. They usually do, just as a courtesy.”

Taylor recalled that the show told her it couldn’t pay her more, but she insisted that money wasn’t the issue because she had already decided to leave her contract behind.

“In any case, when the six years was up, I said, ‘I don’t want to be under contract anymore, but I will visit the show occasionally if it’s, if you want.’ I mean, I did play the boy’s mama,” the actress continued.

Taylor added, “I said, ‘I don’t want to be under contract anymore.’ And they said, ‘We can’t pay you any more money.’ First of all, I said, ‘You could actually pay me the cost of this building, but don’t bother because I don’t want to continue on under contract.'”

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Holland Taylor Open to Return as a Guest

Despite the issue, Taylor said she’s open to return as a guest on “Two and a Half Men” when needed.

“And they said, ‘But we can’t afford to give you more.’ I said, ‘I’m cool with it. I just will come back as a guest from time to time,'” she said.

Before joining “Two and a Half Men,” Taylor had already earned several accolades, including a 1999 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role in “The Practice.”

Her performance as Evelyn Harper on the CBS sitcom also earned her four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2010.