Reports: 'CSI' Actors Fox, Eads Fired


LOS ANGELES (AP) - Two stars of the CBS hit television series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" were fired for breach of contract, KCBS-TV and Variety reported Thursday.

Actors Jorja Fox and George Eads, who play investigators Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes, were fired after asking for more money to stay on the show, according to the reports.

Danica Smith, publicist for both Fox and Eads, told The Associated Press that Fox was fired Wednesday but did not have details. Smith could not confirm whether Eads was fired.

A CBS spokesman said the network had no comment.

Eads didn't show up for work Thursday, the first day of production for the next season, according to the news station and Variety, which posted a story on its Web site Thursday.

The actors were in the fifth of their seven-year contracts.

Though a search was under way for their replacements, it's unclear whether show creators will recast the characters or develop new ones, the reports said.

The show picked up four Emmy nominations Thursday, including one for best drama series.

As disappointing as this may be for fans, I'm glad. It's about time they don't give in to actors demands for more money. They get paid enough as it is!

I saw this on a news crawl this morning, but there were no details. The fact that they were asking for more money with three years left on their contracts -- a tactic that borders on blackmail -- makes me glad that the network didn't roll over and give in to them.

As much as I like Jorja Fox, I see her as being by far the more expendable of the two. George Eads is definitely going to leave a bigger void in the ensemble (what with the "hunk" factor and all...). I imagine a lot of diehard female fans are already in mourning.

OMG My friend just pointed this out to me. I kinda have mixed feelings about the whole thing. Ya know? I mean neither actor was my favorite, but i could watch them... BUt the thing I am afraid of is this will make the rateing drop big time. Unles they can find actors who can fill their shoes witch i think will be hard to do.

Best of luck to both actors....

Good luck to the show, and other remaining actors.

I don't watch the show. Which actors are they....are they in the picture on this board?

Originally posted by Janice
I don't watch the show. Which actors are they....are they in the picture on this board?
Never mind. Found them.

I can't believe they fired them. They were 2 of my favorites. I guess the lesson is if you're going to hold out for more money you better be the undisputed star of the show or if you're not then you better hold out with the rest of the cast.

I hope that they find good replacements for Fox and Eads. Even with the loss of those two, CSI will probably still have high ratings.

I'm mixed up about it I"m gonna miss Jorja (cause her character is soooo like me and I am told I look like her (i'll post a pic of me and then her below) but on the other side atleast they wont do the dreaded Gris /Sara thing and we'll definetly get Grissom and Catherine which is a VERY good thing for us G/Cers i'm still gonna miss her and George though and as far as I know and hear they arent recasting thier characters
*sighs*

and this is a pic of Jorja on the Show
and the pic below her is Me
http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v237/CatherineWillowsGrissom/84-er10.jpg

:crying: Say it isn't sooooo........

I am not ashamed to admit it was George who got me hooked on the show. I am a shameless sucker for eye candy!!!! But once I started watching it for more than my George fix each week, I got hooked on the premise and the story lines as well as the characters....

I agree with everyone here, a contract is a contract. If they tried to renegotiate, then more power to them, but if they were just demanding and holding out, then the network has a right to fire them. Still, they will both be missed.... :(

In this news item (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=797&e=4&u=/eo/20040719/en_tv_eo/14544 ), CBS executive Les Moonves talks about the firings.

Among other details, it's reported that Eads and Fox were looking for an increase to their $100,000 per episode salary, even though their contracts had been renegotiated after season two, and they'd been offered a raise prior to the upcoming fifth season.

Production has been delayed while the season premiere is being "retooled" and CBS considers recasting the roles.

.... are becoming fewer and fewer. I have to get up at 5:30 in the morning and most of the time it is hard for me to stay awake past 9:30. (being a schoolteacher wears a body out! LOL) First Lenny Brisco retires from the force (L&O) and now Sara and Nick are leaving CSI.... :(....

I think I am going to resort to taping my shows. I am looking forward to the new spinnoffs of L&O and CSI and the new NBC show Medical Investigation.... it should be an interesting fall lineup..... I just wish they could be on earlier... but I know why they aren't... :(

Originally posted by Luckymama58
.... are becoming fewer and fewer. I have to get up at 5:30 in the morning and most of the time it is hard for me to stay awake past 9:30. (being a schoolteacher wears a body out! LOL) First Lenny Brisco retires from the force (L&O) and now Sara and Nick are leaving CSI.... :(....

I think I am going to resort to taping my shows. I am looking forward to the new spinnoffs of L&O and CSI and the new NBC show Medical Investigation.... it should be an interesting fall lineup..... I just wish they could be on earlier... but I know why they aren't... :(

One word... Tivo! It's well worth the investment. Especially for reasons like that!!

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20040722/D83VI5E80.html

Fired 'CSI' Actor Denies Salary Holdout

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Fired "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" actor George Eads says he wasn't staging a salary holdout when he missed work - he overslept. He hoped what he called a "big misunderstanding" with CBS and its chief, Leslie Moonves, will be resolved by the end of the week and he will be back to work on the hit drama, Eads said Wednesday.

"Yeah, definitely, I look forward to going back," he told a Television Critics Association meeting. He was on hand to publicize his upcoming TV movie "Evel Knievel," airing July 30 on TNT.

Eads and "CSI" co-star Jorja Fox were dumped by CBS last week after failing to show up for the start of production on the upcoming fifth season. The network said they had demanded raises beyond their contracts.

The actors reportedly were making $100,000 per episode for the series, which airs about 24 episodes a season.

CBS had no immediate comment on Eads' remarks, network spokesman Chris Ender said Wednesday. A call to Fox's publicist was not immediately returned.

"They think it's about money and it's not," Eads said. "I overslept. ... I woke up white as a sheet 3 1/2 hours after I was supposed to be on the set."

He called in, said he was on his way and was told, "Don't bother," Eads said. The Texas native compared himself to a football star who makes a similar error.

"It's like I'm the quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys and I overslept the first day of practice," he said. "I'd expect the coach to have me run hills and run wind sprints until the sun goes down, not you know, completely fire me."

Asked if CBS had sought an apology from him, he replied: "Let me tell you, I've apologized nine ways to Sunday. It's a big misunderstanding, straight up."

"I want all this to work out. 'CSI' is a part of who I am," Eads said.

Eads said he wants to speak with Moonves to resolve the issue but had yet to reach him. He compared getting hold of Moonves, a top executive with CBS parent company Viacom, to reaching the mysterious Charlie in "Charlie's Angels."

"If after I've spoken to him from my heart he knows exactly what the situation is, he's the boss. It's still up to him."

At a session last Sunday with the TV critics, Moonves called the firings a fair business decision.

"There comes a point where we feel a contract is a contract. ... We all have to look out for the future of the network television business," said Moonves, co-president and co-chief operating officer of Viacom.

Eads echoed those comments Wednesday, saying he agreed "a contract is a contract."

Fox Back on 'CSI,' Eads' Fate Uncertain

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jorja Fox, the "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" star who was fired for skipping work in a salary dispute, is returning to the hit CBS drama.

Fox reached an agreement with the network and will be back on the set next week, a source close to the production said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Co-star George Eads also lost his job when he also failed to report last week for the start of production on the fifth season.

Eads' situation remained unchanged Thursday. But a public apology - in which the actor said he merely overslept and wasn't angling for more money - may have opened the door to talks, the source said.

"It's a big misunderstanding, straight up," Eads told the Television Critics Association on Wednesday. "I want all this to work out. 'CSI' is a part of who I am."

A CBS spokesman declined comment. Calls seeking comment from the actors' publicists were not immediately returned Thursday.

Fox and Eads, who play investigators Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes on the forensics drama set in Las Vegas, were being paid a reported $100,000 each per episode.

CBS chief Leslie Moonves said earlier this week that the firings were fair business decisions. "There comes a point where we feel a contract is a contract," he said.

Deals with Fox and Eads were renegotiated after two years and a raise was offered for this fifth season although there was no contractual obligation to do so, Moonves said.

Other actors in the "CSI" cast, including Marg Helgenberger and William Petersen, were not involved in the dispute. Petersen is also a producer on the series.

A salary holdout last year by another CBS star, Emmy-winning Brad Garrett of "Everybody Loves Raymond" paid off for the actor. But CBS' hard line on the "CSI" actors indicated the network didn't see them as crucial to the ensemble drama.

"CSI" was the top-rated drama last season and the No. 2 show in viewers just behind "American Idol." The show and its spinoffs "CSI: Miami" and the upcoming "CSI: NY" are key elements of CBS' schedule.

that really sucks i hope they reach an agreement for both fox and eads cause there 2 of my fav characters and it wouldnt be the same if they just recast them:D :cool: :p ;)

George, honey, I forgive you for oversleeping! :D LOL It happens to the best of us.... I just hope CBS will too. I would miss you if you weren't on the show! :(

George Eads to Come Back to 'CSI'


NEW YORK (AP) - Actors George Eads and Jorja Fox will both be back on the job next week at "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" after learning a lesson in hardball network politics.

Eads reached an agreement Friday to return to television's most popular drama after he was fired for skipping work in what CBS believed was a contract dispute, CBS entertainment spokesman Chris Ender said.

He rejoins Jorja Fox, who came to her own agreement to come back on Thursday.

A spokeswoman for Eads did not immediately return a call seeking comment on Friday.


The actors portray investigators Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes on the Las Vegas-based forensics drama. Actors in a successful Hollywood production angling for more money is a long-established Hollywood tradition.

But CBS boss Leslie Moonves, who said the actors' deals had already been renegotiated after two seasons, played tough. "There comes a point where we feel a contract is a contract," he said.

In a similar situation last year with "Everybody Loves Raymond" actor Brad Garrett, CBS kept him on the job and gave him more money.

Eads was hired back at his old salary, a reported $100,000 per episode, said an executive close to the production who requested anonymity. Ender would not comment on terms of the deal.

This week, Eads had essentially pleaded for his job by apologizing before a group of reporters. He said that he had overslept on the first day of filming for the new "CSI" season and wasn't trying to apply pressure.

"It's a big misunderstanding, straight up," Eads told the Television Critics Association on Wednesday. "I want all this to work out. 'CSI' is a part of who I am."

Both actors will be back at work next week, Ender said.

"We are thrilled that Jorja and George could work things out with CBS and return to the show," said series creator Jerry Bruckheimer.

Yes that is great news. The show wouldn't have been the same without them. I don't want C.S.I. to turn into Law And Order where their are always a lot of cast changes

that is great news im glad there back:D :cool: :p ;)