Jesse Metcalfe became a fan favorite during his time on “Desperate Housewives.” Despite being fired from the hit series after its first season, Metcalfe admitted he wasn’t upset by his exit from Wisteria Lane.
Jesse Metcalfe Was Fired From ‘Desperate Housewives’
During the Tuesday, March 17, episode of the “Not Skinny but Not Fat” podcast, Metcalfe opened up about his exit from the iconic ABC series.
“I was fired from ‘Desperate Housewives,'” he told host Amanda Hirsch. “After the first season, they didn’t really know where else to take my storyline. And, you know, our creator Marc Cherry was kind of like, ‘Hey, this isn’t, like, Desperate House Gardeners. This is Desperate Housewives. So, unfortunately, you are not going to be a series regular moving forward on the show. We’re going to bring you back intermittently.'”
Metcalfe continued, “At that time, I had been offered ‘John Tucker Must Die’ from 20th Century Fox, so I was like, ‘Hey, cool. No big deal. I’m going to be a movie star. But, you know, thanks!'”
Metcalfe—who played John Rowland, the gardener having an affair with Eva Longoria’s Gabrielle Solis, on the series—made periodic appearance on “Desperate Housewives” after the first season.
“I wasn’t hit, you know, super hard, like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m being fired from a mega hit show,'” he added. “I took it in stride because I, you know, thought that this was only the beginning.”
After playing the titular character in “John Tucker Must Die,” Metcalfe would appear in films such as “Loaded,” “The Tortured,” and “Dead Rising.” He also landed roles in the 2012 “Dallas” revival, “Chesapeake Shores,” and “Chase.”
Metcalfe and his partner, Sharna Burgess, were eliminated fourth during season 29 of “Dancing With the Stars.” He has also been a staple in Hallmark films, including holiday films “Christmas Under the Stars” and “Christmas Next Door,” as well as the series “Chesapeake Shores.”
Jesse Metcalfe Previously Opened Up About ‘Desperate Housewives’ Pressure
The 2000s heartthrob previously opened up about the “pressure” he felt during his time on “Desperate Housewives.
“Being a sex symbol is very much about the roles that you play and my roles put me up on a pedestal,” he said during a 2021 interview with Vice’s i-D Magazine. “But my appearance was also criticized and picked apart by a lot of people in the media. Having your shirt off in every episode of Housewives brought a lot of pressure.”
He added at the time, “You have to stay in the best shape you can and then between projects, everyone expects you to stay in that shape 24/7, 365. That’s not realistic. That’s why paparazzi catch actors between projects looking ‘out of shape’ — they’re taking time off and that includes the gym.”
