It’s every actor’s dream to portray a character that people eventually hold dear to their hearts either because their character reminds viewers of a time in their lives, speaks to their inner child, or inspires a new journey.
An actor who got to live such a reality was Richard Earl Thomas, who played John-Boy, a character who took viewers through both unchartered and familiar experiences with his coming of age story on CBS’ family drama The Waltons.
He featured on the beloved show from 1972 until his departure in 1977, leaving fans and fellow Waltons cast members wondering why Richard Thomas left a show that did a lot for his career as an actor.
What was ‘The Waltons’?
Based on Earl Hamner’s best-selling novelized memoir Spencer’s Mountain and a 1963 Henry Fonda movie adaptation of the same name, The Waltons is an autobiographical experience story turned into one of the most popular 1970s tv shows.
The Waltons revolves around a large family living in rural Virginia during the Depression and World War II.
The family consists of John and Olivia Walton (Ralph Waite and Michael Learned), their seven children, and John’s parents, Zebulon and Esther Walton (Will Geer and Ellen Corby).
The story, is in most part, seen through the eyes of John-Boy Walton (Richard Thomas), an aspiring writer and the eldest son. He naturally becomes one of the most attractive aspects of the show, earning him an Emmy award and a Golden Globe nomination.
Unfortunately, in 1977, after the show’s 5th season and before the show ended, Richard Thomas departed from The Waltons.
Why did Richard Thomas leave The Waltons?
Richard Thomas’ departure on The Waltons felt like a swift move by fans, considering how quickly his departure plays out. In moments before his exit, Richard’s John-boy graduates from college and moves to New York City to become an author. Fans eventually find out that he enrolled with the military and became a war correspondent after an attack on Pearl Harbor.
According to Distractify, Richard Thomas left The Waltons after season 5 to pursue other career opportunities. At the time of his departure, nothing alluded to a fallout with the show’s producers, considering Richard returned to the show for a few guest appearances in season six.
With Richards’ character still highly relevant, the show’s writers could not bear to have his character appear only so often, so they enlisted a replacement in seasons 8 and 9. Richard was replaced by actor Robert Whiteman who came into the story after John-Boy is involved in a bad plane crash, forcing his return home.
Despite Robert becoming fully invested in his new character, fans and former co-cast members still complained over losing Richard Thomas as the original John-Boy.
