Actor Harry Shearer, perhaps best known as the voice of several characters on
The Simpsons, including that of Montgomery Burns,
will be leaving the show's cast, according to CNN.
Showrunner Al Jean
said Shearer was "offered the same deal as the rest of the cast, but turned it down." ... Shearer is not just walking away from Springfield, but also a large sum of money. The actor was offered a guaranteed $14 million for two years of work, according to someone with direct knowledge of the matter. The proposed deal also allowed for him to do other projects if he wished." That last part, though, seems to be in dispute, and central to Shearer's decision to leave; Shearer tweeted that it's because he "
wanted what we've always had: the freedom to do other work."