The Real Reason Michael Rosenbaum Left Smallville

In the realm of adaptations of the "Superman" mythos, "Smallville" is certainly up there in terms of its enduring popularity. The series, which starred Tom Welling as Clark Kent, aired for a whopping 10 seasons (amassing more than 200 episodes to its name along the way). It even lasted through two networks as The WB eventually transitioned to The CW. Starring alongside Welling was Michael Rosenbaum as his arch-nemesis Lex Luthor. But Rosenbaum didn't go the distance, with the actor leaving the show after Season 7. Why would an actor leave a successful sci-fi show early? Rosenbaum had his reasons.

In a 2016 interview with Empire, the actor addressed his departure at length. Then head of the network Peter Roth did try to get Rosenbaum to stay for "Smallville" Seasons 8 and 9. As an actor, however, Rosenbaum had other pursuits in mind (namely, comedy):

"[Roth] tried to get me to do two more seasons of 'Smallville.' I was very polite and respectful. I said, 'Peter, my grandma thinks I'm funny and I've always wanted to do comedy, and I started out in comedy, and I was doing tons of comedy, and then I was catapulted into this role that I love and it's been great, but I was contracted for six years to play Lex Luthor, I did seven, and I'm just ready to move on and I'm just ready to take a new step.'"

Rosenbaum was indifferent during his audition for "Smallville," yet he landed the role and it consumed nearly a decade of his life. Still, he had other pursuits in mind. Roth, however, pressed him on the issue to no avail. As Rosenbaum recalled:

"He looked at me and says, 'You know, Julianna Margulies, she turned down millions of dollars to stay with 'ER' and look where she is now.' It wasn't two or three years later where she just made a fortune with 'The Good Wife' and all of that, and her career just took off. I said, 'I'm going to bank on my talent. I'm just going to take a chance on me. I think I've done this long enough, I did this character for seven years and I just don't feel like shaving my head for two more years.'"

Despite the vague threat that his career might suffer, Rosembaum stuck to his guns and left "Smallville" behind. The actor did eventually return for the series finale, even if he only filmed for one day. "I sort of did it for the fans and did it for me for closure and to say, 'Hey, I did come back.' I did do it, and that's ultimately why," Rosenbaum explained in that same Empire interview.

Rosenbaum has addressed his departure from the show several times in more recent history. On his podcast "Inside of You" in 2024, he spoke to series creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, explaining, "Part of that reason is two other people left after Season 7," referring to them. On an episode of Katee Sackhoff's podcast "BlahBlahBlah," Rosenbaum also recalled the meeting with Roth, revealing that he was offered the same amount of money that he was already being paid to get him to stay, which was the final nail in the coffin. "That was it. I knew I had to respect myself, and it wasn't worth it," he added.

"Smallville" was canceled after Season 10 by The CW, though it did later return in comic book form. As for Rosenbaum, he did indeed pursue other opportunities, including brief appearances in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films, in addition to leading the relatively short-lived TV series "Impastor." Rosenbaum also returned to the DC universe on the animated side of things, lending his voice to projects like "Justice League: Doom" and "Nightwing and Robin" (where he voiced The Flash and Scarecrow, respectively), among others.

Rosenbaum has been succeeded as Lex Luthor by several actors in the years since. Jon Cryer eventually played Lex Luthor in the Arrowverse on "Supergirl" in addition to several crossovers. Looking ahead, Nicholas Hoult is currently due to play the villain in James Gunn's "Superman" movie in summer 2025.

You can grab "Smallville: The Complete Series" on DVD or Blu-ray from Amazon.