12 Actors Who Screwed Up Their Big TV Chances By Getting Fired

8. Lisa Bonet - A Different World & The Cosby Show

In the 80s, The Cosby Show was the ratings kingpin. It was in the top twenty all eight seasons and held the coveted number one position for five seasons in a row. The producers decided to capitalize on the success with a spin-off, A Different World. Set at the fictional Hillman College, a predominately African-American college, the series followed Denise, the second oldest daughter from The Cosby Show, played by Lisa Bonet. It was a good concept for a spin-off, following Denise and her friends as they adjusted to college life. It wasn't to last for Bonet, though. She committed the despicable crime of getting pregnant, and this didn't sit well with the producers, who wrote out her character at the start of the second season and focused more on the other characters. After her pregnancy, Lisa Bonet was allowed to return to The Cosby Show, but Bonet's attitude deteriorated, especially towards Cosby. Frankly, I can't blame her. I'd be pretty upset if I lost my show for getting pregnant, too. At the end of the seventh season, Cosby had enough and wrote Bonet out for the show's final season.
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Christopher A. Rothbauer is a freelance writer who specializes in nostalgic television and B-movies. His current project is the blog Saved by the Bell...Reviewed!, which reviews every episode of the Saved by the Bell franchise one week at a time. He lives in the southern Indiana suburbs of Louisville, Kentucky.