Daniel Dae Kim has nothing but gratitude and respect to his "Hawaii Five-0" family even after he has decided to end his seven-year residence at CBS in June. Earlier reports suggested that his sudden exit from the show was due to salary disagreement with the network.
Kim explains 'Hawaii Five-0' exit
The actor confirmed this news in a Facebook post, wherein he revealed that he and the network have failed to reach a deal regarding his new contract. Kim added that leaving "Hawaii Five-0" was a "difficult choice" for him to make. He also thanked the staff and his co-actors for their constant support and wished them success.
Although the actor did not mention the specific reason for his departure, multiple sources claimed that his sudden exit, along with Grace Park, was due to inequality of pay among the main cast members. Kim and Park reportedly asked for equal pay with Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan, but were offered a salary that was 10-15 percent lower than what their co-stars were getting.
CBS, on the other hand, stated that they have proposed "significant salary increases" to both Kim and Park in hopes to keep them on the show. The network even credited the two actors for their contribution for the success of "Hawaii Five-0" for the last seven seasons.
But despite failing to meet halfway, CBS has nothing but "tremendous respect" to the two actors and even wished to work with them in the future.
Kim opens new chapter with upcoming ABC show
Now that he is done playing as Chin Ho Kelly in "Hawaii Five-0" series, Kim is all geared up to take on a new challenge as the executive producer of "The Good Doctor" which will start airing on September 25. The upcoming medical drama is an adaptation of a South Korean TV series of the same title.
Speaking from a press tour on Sunday, the 49-year-old producer expressed his excitement to be back to his roots, ABC, seven years after he ended his journey in "Lost" in 2010.
"I couldn't be more excited to be back at ABC, where I started my career in earnest and to be working with such incredible people," he said as per ET Online.
He went on to thank CBS and his "Hawaii Five-0" team for giving him the opportunity to work with them. "It's possible to be grateful to the opportunity and respectful for the colleagues and the people that I work with, but still maintain a steadfast sense of your self-worth," he stated.
Kim said that his "Hawaii Five-0" journey has finally come to end but admitted that he is happy to open a new chapter with "The Good Doctor" and ABC.
