‘Kevin Can Wait’ Shakeup: Erinn Hayes Gets Support From Stars After CBS Cans Her For Leah Remini

Erinn Hayes is moving on after another woman moved in on her turf. The Kevin Can Wait mom, who was surprisingly let go from her co-starring role on the hit CBS sitcom and replaced with leading man Kevin James’ former King of Queens wife, Leah Remini, has updated her social media pages to remove bio information that described her involvement with the show.

Last week, Hayes took to Twitter to break the news of her firing to fans, writing, “True, I’ve been let go from the show. Very sad, I had a great experience Season 1. Thank you for all the support from our wonderful fans.”

A few days later, Erinn Hayes updated fans by revealing she went on a road trip to Colorado with a pal in the aftermath of the shocking casting switch. Hayes captioned a makeup-free selfie of herself and a friend with a message that made it clear she is still clearing her head after the CBS shakeup.

“Scooted away to Colorado for some friend therapy and clean air,” Erinn wrote. “Went for a hike in the sunshine so yes, the hail was a bit surprising. Also, sometimes we like to post things that prove we don’t do Botox.”

Ever since the Kevin Can Wait casting changes were announced, the support for Erinn Hayes has been overwhelming. While Kevin James has not spoken out on the unusual wife swap on his hit CBS comedy, many other celebrities have reached out to Erinn to commiserate with her on the highs and lows that come with Hollywood fame.

Actor David Arquette reached out to Hayes to reveal that a similar thing happened to him with actor Anthony Michael Hall.

In a direct message to Erinn Hayes, Arquette tweeted: “I once had a scene with Anthony Michael Hall that I was the lead in and after the scene the director replaced me with Anthony Michael Hall.” (The movie in question may have been the 2013 Indy flick, Something About Her, in which Hall replaced Arquette at the last minute.)

Hayes responded with: “Oh man this business.”

I once had a scene with Anthony Michael Hall that I was the lead in and after the scene the director replaced me with Anthony Michael Hall

— David Arquette (@DavidArquette) June 6, 2017

In addition, Erinn Hayes’ Children’s Hospital co-star Megan Mullally posted a message to let CBS execs know they are all “crazy” for letting Hayes go.

“Erinn Hayes is a truly great, hilarious actress who can do literally anything,” the Will and Grace alum tweeted. “Your loss.”

y'all are crazy @KevinCanWaitCBS. Erinn Hayes is a truly great, hilarious actress who can do literally anything. your loss. https://t.co/XY8BrhHY3t

— Megan Mullally (@MeganMullally) June 6, 2017

While Erinn Hayes’ friends and fans are not happy that she won’t appear in Kevin Can Wait Season 2 (many are boycotting the show, based on social media reaction), the move to bring on Leah Remini as a full-time cast member comes as a surprise even for some of James’ longtime King of Queens fans.

Last fall, James and Hayes hit the interview circuit to talk about the new CBS sitcom. At the time, James told TV Guide he had no plans to bring his former King of Queens co-stars Leah Remini and Jerry Stiller on as guests stars on Kevin Can Wait.

“If I did it too soon, it would feel like a ploy,” James said at the time.

“I want this show to take on its own life and become its own thing. It can’t help but be compared as it is, but I want to reduce that as much as possible.”

Obviously, James changed his mind on that one. Remini was brought in for the two-part season finale, the not-so-subtly-titled “The Sting of Queens,” and the rest is history.

While James hasn’t publicly commented on Erinn Hayes’ firing (producers said the move has nothing to do with Erinn’s performance but was for “creative reasons” only), it wasn’t too long ago that the actor was praising Hayes for her dedication to his sophomore CBS sitcom.

Hayes reportedly fell ill on the day the cast shot the Kevin Can Wait pilot, but she still showed up for work.

“Food poisoning the whole day,” James told Entertainment Tonight of Hayes. “[She] comes out a trouper. We would have canceled. She’s on her back the whole day getting IV! That is the true hero of Kevin Can Wait.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfOD9hTnUDs

[Featured Image by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]