Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park will be missing when CBS's Hawaii Five-0 returns for its eighth season in September 2017. The series stars, who have been with the show from the start, left the show during its hiatus amidst reports of failed contract negotiations.
According to Variety, Kim and Park were seeking pay equality with stars Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan. Kim took to Facebook and said he and CBS "weren't able to agree to terms on a new contract, so I made the difficult choice not to continue."
"I'll end by saying that though transitions can be difficult, I encourage us all to look beyond the disappointment of this moment to the bigger picture. The path to equality is rarely easy," Kim said on Facebook.
In a statement, CBS praised Park and Kim. "We are so appreciative of Daniel and Grace's enormous talents, professional excellence and the aloha spirit they brought to each and every one of our 168 episodes," CBS said in a statement. "They've helped us build an exciting new Hawaii Five-0, and we wish them all the best and much success in their next chapters. Mahalo and a hui hou…"
The two aren't the first stars to leave shows that are still going strong. See the stars who said goodbye to their hit series below.
The whereabouts of Kim's Chin Ho Kelly and Park's Kono Kalakaua will be addressed in the season eight premiere.
"I will never forget meeting Daniel while still writing the pilot and being certain there was no other actor who I'd want to play Chin Ho Kelly," showrunner Peter M. Lenkov said in a statement when the exits were announced. "Needless to say, Daniel has been an instrumental part of the success of Hawaii Five-0 over the past seven seasons and it has personally been a privilege to know him. Grace's presence gave Hawaii Five-0 a beauty and serenity to each episode. She was the consummate collaborator, helping build her character from Day 1. They will always be ohana to us, we will miss them and we wish them both all the best."
Hawaii Five-0 will return on Friday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. on CBS.