Why Yellowstone Star Luke Grimes Left True Blood

Television shows recast characters all the time for a number of reasons, and sometimes even more than once (looking at you, "Peaky Blinders"). Be that as it may, fans were still a little surprised when heartthrob actor and country singer Luke Grimes left the campy vampire series "True Blood" after season 6.

Created by Alan Ball, "True Blood" was a sexy, wild show that starred an incredible ensemble cast playing a variety of humans, vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters, and other supernatural beings. It could be a bit uneven but it was also a lot of fun, and in season 6, Grimes was introduced as vampire James Kent, who was held captive with vampire Jessica ("Daredevil" star Deborah Ann Woll) in a horrible anti-vampire camp. Kent almost immediately endeared himself to fans by protecting Jessica from an unsettling experiment by refusing to participate and getting burned over and over as a result. He and Jessica ended up having a (rather passionate) romantic relationship built on shared trauma, and he became a welcome addition to the big, weird extended "True Blood" found family.

Then, season 7 began and Kent was no longer played by Grimes but by actor Nathan Parsons, who would also go on to star as Jackson Kenner on "The Originals." Suffice it to say, fans were a bit confused. Why did Kent get recast, and what happened to Grimes? It's a little complicated, honestly, and depends on who you ask.

According to Buzzfeed, Grimes left "True Blood" after citing issues with the "creative direction of his character." However, sources close to the series alleged that he had been uncomfortable with a then-upcoming storyline in which Kent would have a romantic relationship with another man — namely, the drug dealer, cook, and sometimes-witch Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis). Grimes denied these claims through his publicist, saying that he left the show because of scheduling conflicts that stemmed from him ramping up his movie career to join the "Fifty Shades of Grey" film series. Ellis himself, on the other hand, had some choice words about the whole situation. 

Speaking with Vulture in 2014, Ellis (who sadly died in 2017 at the age of 39), shared his feelings about Grimes' departure:

"I mean, I can say I'm not going to make a comment, but I just think that, you're an actor, you're an actor on a show that's 'True Blood,' we're all sitting there going, 'You quit your job because ... really?' I'm just ... I'm over him. You quit your job because you don't want to play a gay part? [...] You have to be open. But more importantly, you make a statement when you do something like that. I did a documentary called 'Damn Wonderful,' about gay suicide, and you make a statement, a big statement, when you go, 'I don't want to play this part because it's gay.' If you have a child, if you have a son, and he comes out as gay, what are you going to do? If you have a daughter who comes out gay ...? You just made a statement, and it has ripple effects."

Ellis went on to explain that he was offended on Ball's behalf as well (Ball is openly gay) and that he "didn't like" what Grimes was saying by leaving the role because he was afraid to "play gay." If that is indeed the case, and it seems highly possible, it's pretty homophobic of Grimes and extremely disappointing.

Grimes went on to star in movies like the 2016 "Magnificent Seven" remake and Clint Eastwood's "American Sniper," but his biggest role to date is as Kayce Dutton on Taylor Sheridan's hit series "Yellowstone." That show similarly garnered controversy when star Kevin Costner abruptly departed, but it performed well enough to spawn several spin-offs, including a potential show centered on Kayce Dutton, which would give Grimes plenty more time playing the character. But while it's good that he was able to pivot into tackling roles he's more comfortable with, it's deeply frustrating that he seemed to leave "True Blood" because he wasn't comfortable playing a queer character.

Actors are, of course, accustomed to portraying individuals strikingly different from who they really are and spend their careers pretending to be a wide variety of people. It's also everyone's right to do what they're comfortable with, and no one should be forced into anything. It's likewise okay if an actor doesn't want to kiss someone onscreen, but by leaving "True Blood" when he did, Grimes made it look like he had a problem with his character being bisexual. My guy ... you were on "True Blood," what did you expect? That series was a pansexual delight of weird pairings, and thankfully, Parsons did a great job replacing Grimes as James. In that way, it all worked out in the end.