{"id":2333662,"date":"2026-03-17T19:35:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T19:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2333662"},"modified":"2026-03-17T19:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T19:35:32","slug":"jesse-metcalfe-says-he-was-fired-from-desperate-housewives-after-season-1-had-shirtless-body-picked-apart-by-viewers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/jesse-metcalfe-says-he-was-fired-from-desperate-housewives-after-season-1-had-shirtless-body-picked-apart-by-viewers\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesse Metcalfe Says He Was &#8216;Fired&#8217; from \u201cDesperate Housewives\u201d After Season 1, Had Shirtless Body &#8216;Picked Apart&#8217; by Viewers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Jesse Metcalfe is opening up about being &#8220;fired&#8221; as a series regular on Desperate Housewives after the show&#8217;s first season<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In a new interview, he says the show&#8217;s creator told him his character would only be coming back &#8220;intermittently&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">At the time, Metcalfe&#8217;s career was taking off, so he says he &#8220;took it in stride&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/jesse-metcalfe\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jesse Metcalfe;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Jesse Metcalfe&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Jesse Metcalfe<\/a> says he was fired after one season on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tv\/desperate-housewives-cast-reuniting-coronavirus-relief\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Desperate Housewives;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Desperate Housewives&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Desperate Housewives<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Metcalfe, 47, starred in the ABC drama as teen gardener John Rowland, who has an affair with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/eva-longoria\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Eva Longoria;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Eva Longoria&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Eva Longoria<\/a>\u2019s rich housewife character. He opened up about leaving the show in an interview on the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/not-skinny-but-not-fat\/id1444559244\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Not Skinny But Not Fat;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Not Skinny But Not Fat&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Not Skinny But Not Fat<\/em><\/a> podcast.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I was fired from<em> Desperate Housewives<\/em>,&#8221; Metcalfe said. &#8220;After the first season, they didn&#8217;t really know where else to take my storyline.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0<\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/people-news-inline\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:PEOPLE's free daily newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;PEOPLE'&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><strong>PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal dialogue\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Jesse Metcalfe on Desperate Housewives<br \/>Credit: ABC<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He continued: &#8220;And our creator Marc Cherry was kinda like, &#8216;Hey, this isn&#8217;t <em>Desperate House-gardeners<\/em>. This is <em>Desperate Housewives<\/em>. So, unfortunately, you know, you&#8217;re not gonna be a series regular moving forward on the show. We&#8217;re gonna bring you back intermittently.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;And at that time, I had been offered [2006 film] <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/jesse-metcalfe-says-wearing-a-thong-in-john-tucker-must-die-is-burned-into-my-memory-exclusive-11688533\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:John Tucker Must Die;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;John Tucker Must Die&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>John Tucker Must Die<\/em><\/a> from 20th Century Fox. So I was like, &#8216;Hey, cool, no big deal, I&#8217;m gonna be a movie star,'&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-puzzler-8620185\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><strong>The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He continued: &#8220;I did come back intermittently but I wasn&#8217;t hit super hard&#8230; I took it in stride, because I thought, &#8216;This is only the beginning.&#8217; &#8220;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In a 2021 interview with <em>Vice<\/em>&#8216;s <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/i-d.vice.com\/en_uk\/article\/3abkky\/jesse-metcalfe-interview\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:i-D Magazine;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;i-D Magazine&quot;}\" class=\"link \">i-D Magazine<\/a>, <\/em>Metcalfe spoke about the &#8220;pressure&#8221; his role on <em>Desperate<\/em> <em>Housewives<\/em> created \u2014 particularly as it often required he have his shirt off.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Being a sex symbol is very much about the roles that you play and my roles put me up on a pedestal,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But my appearance was also criticized and picked apart by a lot of people in the media. Having your shirt off in every episode of <em>Housewives<\/em> brought a lot of pressure.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Metcalfe continued, &#8220;You have to stay in the best shape you can and then between projects, everyone expects you to stay in that shape 24\/7, 365. That&#8217;s not realistic. That&#8217;s why paparazzi catch actors between projects looking &#8216;out of shape&#8217; \u2014 they&#8217;re taking time off and that includes the gym.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/jesse-metcalfe-says-he-was-fired-from-desperate-housewives-after-one-season-11928267\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;People&quot;}\" class=\"link \">People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source nz.news.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW Jesse Metcalfe is opening up about being &#8220;fired&#8221; as a series regular on Desperate Housewives after the show&#8217;s first season In a new interview, he says the show&#8217;s creator told him his character would only be coming back &#8220;intermittently&#8221; At the time, Metcalfe&#8217;s career was taking off, so he says he &#8220;took [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2333663,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[344635,328172,452192],"class_list":["post-2333662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-desperate-housewives","tag-jesse-metcalfe","tag-john-rowland"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Jesse-Metcalfe-Says-He-Was-Fired-from-Desperate-Housewives-After.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2333662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2333662"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2333662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2333664,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2333662\/revisions\/2333664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2333663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2333662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2333662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2333662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}