We Finally Know Why These Outlander Stars Left The Show

For eight seasons, starting in 2014, the gorgeous cast of "Outlander" created memorable performances that brought Diana Gabaldon's books to life. While the show's 12-year run doesn't seem that long compared to the hundreds of years of time travel within the story, it's still quite a chunk of time in terms of the actors' lives, especially for the series' stars. As Claire Randall, Caitríona Balfe made a stunning transformation and achieved international acclaim. "I was so emotional," Balfe informed Elle in May 2026, as she recalled shooting her final scene. "It hit me like a train — what a massive journey it had been, and the enormity of saying goodbye."

Even though Richard Rankin's tenure wasn't quite as extensive, he devoted a decade to portraying Roger MacKenzie. "You were in a very different place in your life, but you had that constant of the show and everyone on it," Rankin told Den of Geek in March 2026. "It's a weird perception of the time that's passed."

For other members of the massive cast, the ending of the series isn't as poignant, since they left "Outlander" behind years ago. For instance, Laurence Dobiesz played Alex Randall for a brief four episodes in the second season before his character succumbed to tuberculosis. For other actors, however, the situation wasn't always as clear-cut, and a variety of story-based and real-life circumstances resulted in them leaving the show perhaps earlier than they or audiences expected.

Between 2014 and 2017, Laura Donnelly portrayed Jenny Fraser. While the "Outlander" production team hoped to have Donnelly reprise her role for Season 4, she was doing live theater and unable to travel to Scotland for filming. After Season 3 wrapped, she starred in "The Ferryman" in London. Later, the play moved to the U.S. "It was the kind of art I had been wanting to create for my whole career," Donnelly informed W Magazine in November 2018.

Initially, "Outlander" appeared willing to wait for Donnelly to have more flexibility. "We love Laura, we love the character Jenny and she's such a spark to any season," "Outlander" executive producer Maril Davis explained to Entertainment Weekly in December 2018. However, by Season 7, Kristin Atherton ended up playing the character instead. It seemed that Donnelly didn't have "Outlander" in her long-term plans. Not only had her career taken off on stage, TV, and film, but Donnelly also didn't think she'd be able to convincingly play a significantly older version of Jenny after the show moved the storyline up a couple of decades.

While some people blamed some of the show's passionate fans for her decision, Donnelly refuted this idea. In addition, some fans clearly supported the actor's desire to stretch herself in other directions. "Why should such a talented actress such as Ms Donnelly hang around waiting for another appearance on Outlander when she has all that talent, that doesn't make sense," remarked one person on Facebook.

Child star Romann Berrux was a teenager when he played Fergus on "Outlander" in Seasons 2 and 3. He was super excited to plunge himself into learning all the nuances of participating in a historic production. "Loving the role and character helps make my job easier because I think about the character all the time and I become it," Berrux explained to International Film Review in December 2019. 

Despite his enthusiasm, Berrux's time on the show ended due to a time-skip in the plot. Since Berrux couldn't convincingly age a decade-plus even with TV makeup magic, César Domboy played Fergus after he grew up. In an effort to maintain continuity, Domboy studied Berrux's performance.

Happily for Berrux, he's gotten other acting gigs since his time on "Outlander" ended. In addition, his experiences on the show will always be a pivotal part of his life, and he continues to build relationships with the show's dedicated fans. "Thanks for this fabulous last weekend. It was a pleasure meeting you guys and speaking about outlander & new projects," Berrux wrote on Instagram after he attended an April 2024 "Outlander" convention. The young performer has long appreciated fan feedback, like when his character went through the harrowing experience of an amputated hand.

As Ian Murray, Steven Cree popped up in the first four seasons of "Outlander" before making a brief return in Season 7. Cree and Laura Donnelly's characters were married, and, similar to Donnelly, another job precluded Cree's ability to participate in the show. However, unlike Donnelly, Cree was game to return when an opportunity presented itself in Season 7. Although he razzed the production team about them renaming the character "Old Ian" due to the story's advancement, he wasn't daunted by the prospect of playing an older version of the character. 

Despite his time away from the set, Cree found the process pretty seamless. "It was like going back and hanging out with friends," he informed the Herald (via Express). Cree's also participated in fan events, and he kept in touch with the wider "Outlander" community when he left the show.

While Cree had a host of other acting experiences during his hiatus from "Outlander," it was developments in his personal life that really informed his performance. Cree and his real-life partner, Kahleen Crawford, became parents in the interim, and he was eager to channel those experiences into scenes with his onscreen son, played by John Bell. "Actually being a dad and understanding about that and understanding what I would want to say to my daughter informed and really helped me," Cree informed the Daily Record in November 2024.