Matheson said he thought one of the reasons the pair walked away was because they refused to compromise. Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme WireImage

“It felt like I was watching someone make out with my wife,” Sorkin said during a reunion panel in 2016. He never specified why he was leaving and to this day he has never seen the final three seasons of the show. I went back and did a few episodes here and there, but it wasn’t the same.”Īt the time, Sorkin released a statement saying, “I had the best job in show business for four years and I’ll never forget that.” “But I also felt that they were the heart of the show. “It was really heartbreaking because I loved being on that show,” the 70-year-old actor said.

Matheson told us the storyline was written that way so that when liberal President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) steps away from the presidency in the season finale, his replacement would be a Republican - adding drama to the show. Tommy and I are leaving the show after this season and so are you.'”Īt the end of the fourth season, it was revealed that Matheson’s character had leaked confidential information to his mistress, forcing him to resign. “He said, ‘Listen, I got some news for you. “I’ll never forget that I got a call from Aaron and at the end of the fourth season,” Tim Matheson, who played Vice President Hoynes, recently told Page Six. It’s been 15 years since Aaron Sorkin walked away from his hit political drama “The West Wing,” and while the show was still popular after his departure, it was never the same.

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