Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park will not return for Hawaii Five-0 Season 8, and this has sparked rumours that the show won't last post Season 8.
The duo was reportedly looking to match the salaries of Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan, but they could not come to an agreement with CBS Television Studios, resulting in their decision to leave the police procedural drama.
According to Variety, Kim and Park, who played Chin and Kono in Hawaii Five-0, made about 10 to 15 percent less than O'Loughlin and Caan.
Kim and Park are leaving on good terms and Hawaii Five-0 showrunner Peter Lenkov has nothing but good things to say about them.
"I will never forget meeting Daniel while still writing the pilot and being certain there was no other actor who I'd want to play Chin Ho Kelly," Lenkov said in a statement cited by the media. "Needless to say, Daniel has been an instrumental part of the success of Hawaii Five-0 over the past 7 seasons and it has personally been a privilege to know him."
He also praised Grace, saying her "presence gave Hawaii Five-0 a beauty and serenity to each episode. She was the consummate collaborator, helping build her character from day 1. They will always be ohana to us, we will miss them and we wish them both all the best."
While it is not immediately known what's in store for Kim and Park's on-screen characters Chin and Kono, reports note that their exit will be addressed in Season 8 premiere.
Last year, O'Loughlin had opened up about his decision to leave the show post Season 8, saying the physical demands of the show were indeed putting a strain on his health.
"I've had a lot of injuries. I've been hurt really badly on this show," he told Collider. "I've now got some serious back issues, which I'm going back and forth to California to deal with. I don't want to fuck my body up anymore. I'm getting stem cell treatments in my spine, so that I can pick my kids up. At a certain point, it's television. Film and TV is not as important as my life. I don't think I can physically do any more than eight years."
Hawaii Five-0 will return to CBS in September with Season 8.
