Matthew Morrison revealed his decision to leave "Glee," which had been in the works before Cory Monteith's tragic death in 2013.
The "Still Got Tonight" singer initially expressed to leave the hit singing TV show, but after Cory's death, he felt compelled to stay on. This revelation sheds light on the emotional journey Matthew experienced during that time.
He further revealed to "And That's What You Really Missed" podcast that he had contemplated leaving the show to venture into new opportunities.
"In season 5, I asked to be off the show, just 'cause like, I'm no longer being used in the way I wanted to," he said via Entertainment Weekly.
"We were at a high, I was like, 'Maybe if I get off the show, I could go do something else, go do a movie,' and they agreed to let me off the show."
Following Cory Monteith's unexpected death at 31 in July 2013, Matthew recalled how the show's team discussed the challenge of writing him out of the series.
"You can't have the two main guys on the show [leave]. So yeah, it was an interesting time," he said on the podcast. "Obviously I understood; I was like 'yeah, I get it.'"
Having experienced the absence of Cory, the singer reflected on the array of emotions he grappled with during his time on the show.
He described the challenge as attempting to balance personal desires and the sorrow of losing a dear friend. Despite the internal struggle, the actor remained committed to his craft.
Matthew claimed, "I'm a professional, I showed up, I did my job. And there was a good pay increase, so that worked too."
It was during the conclusion of the fourth season of "Glee" when Cory Monteith died.
Subsequently, in October 2013, a tribute titled "The Quarterback" was broadcast in remembrance of him, following his death by three months.
The show proceeded for an additional season before culminating after a total of six seasons in March 2015.
READ ALSO: Cory Monteith's Tragic Death: Costars Open Up About Eerie Drug Overdose Plot on 'Glee'
Cory Monteith Cause of Death
Police found Cory Monteith lifeless in a Vancouver hotel room in July 2013.
Reports surfaced indicating his long-standing struggle with addiction and a recent stay in rehab.
During a television appearance on "Autopsy: The Last Hours of Cory Monteith," per Glamour mag, Dr. Jason Payne-James highlighted that the conclusive findings in the coroner's report pointed to a case of "Mixed drug toxicity, involving intravenous heroin use combined with the ingestion of alcohol."
The expert went on to say, "Cory was tragically unaware that his central nervous system was already compromised because of the amount of alcohol he had consumed throughout the evening."
He explained that within seconds after injecting the heroin, the effects of these two drugs combined to suppress his ability to breathe.
"As his breathing slows, his heart has a much more difficult time pumping oxygen around his blood."
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