Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park have been confirmed to leave "Hawaii Five-0" ahead its comeback on September 29. The two actors were main cast members alongside Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan. Hence, their exit has left the fans speculating on the reason for the sudden shake-up in the long-running police procedural.
The Asian-American actor was the first to speak up to explain his reason for leaving the show after seven seasons. In a Facebook post addressed to his fans, Kim revealed that his decision to bow out from the series came after he and CBS failed to reach an agreement regarding his new contract.
"Though I made myself available to come back, CBS and I weren’t able to agree to terms on a new contract, so I made the difficult choice not to continue," Kim wrote.
What went wrong?
Park, on the other hand, has yet to make a comment on her departure from "Hawaii Five-0." Several sources, however, told Variety that the reason for the casting shake-up was due to inequality in pay among main cast members. Park and Kim reportedly asked to receive the same figures as O'Loughlin and Caan, but were reportedly offered a salary that was 10-15 percent lower than what their co-actors are getting.
But, contrary to this claim, CBS clarified that they have offered "significant salary increases" to both actors in hopes to stop them from leaving the police procedural series.
The network added that Kim and Park have played a crucial role in making the program a success for the last seven seasons.
Despite failing to reach a common ground, CBS reportedly cut their ties with the two actors with "tremendous respect" for their contribution and loyalty over the years. The company is also looking forward to be working with Kim and Park in the near future.
What happens to their characters?
Kim and Park, who played the respective roles of Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua, may not be participating in "Hawaii Five-0" Season 8, but viewers can expect closure for these characters in the opening episode of the upcoming installment.
In the final moments of the seventh season, Kalakaua was seen going after sex traffickers while Kelly was offered to lead a Five-0 unit in San Francisco.
"Hawaii Five-0" previously confirmed that they will be bringing in a new female series regular who will be enlisted in Steve McGarrett's team. The announcement was made in the wake of discussions on Park's future in the CBS series.
