"Kevin Can Wait" Character Killed Off Out of "Respect"

Philadelphia (CW Philly) -- With "Kevin Can Wait's" first season doing well and just wrapping, we've gotten some sadness. The hit television show killed off Erinn Hayes', Donna Gable, one of the main characters of the show. According to executive producer Rob Long, the decision to kill of Haye's character was out of "respect" for the actress.

"The goal was to give Kevin James' character a real drive and a real predicament involving how a family comes back together after tragedy" and that "out of respect for the character of Donna, and Erinn Hayes, it seemed like the only right and fair way to treat her character." (via Us Weekly)

Hayes' exit from the CBS sitcom was announced in June and it was also revealed that season 1 guest star Leah Remini would return for the second season as a regular. It's worth mentioning that James, 52, and Remini, 47, previously costarred on the popular sitcom The King of Queens from 1998 to 2007.
The split between the show and Hayes was an amicable split.

Hayes also confirmed the news on Twitter at the time, "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."

CBS programming boss Thom Sherman later revealed the details and that the character would be killed off. "The character will have passed away. We will be moving forward in time catching up at a later date," he added that it "was the best way to move forward." This was a decision in which all of the producers had agreed on. The second season will focus on James' character being a single father and learning how to deal with all of the things that come along with it.

While fans are sad to see the Erinn Hayes and the character of Donna Gable go, we'll all be excited to see Kevin James and Leah Remini back on a show together.

Kevin Can Wait will be coming back to the television screen CBS on Monday, September 25, at 9 p.m. ET.