In 2004, Howard Stern announced he was leaving his longtime home, CBS Radio, for Sirius. The deal reportedly made him the highest paid personality in the business, with stock options he sold for some $200 million. For Stern, the move to satellite wasn’t just about money, it was about creative freedom—he could finally swear on air without incurring the wrath of the FCC. But with satellite radio’s future so closely tied to the tanking automobile industry, the move has not proved to be a successful one. Stern may be laughing all the way to the bank, but his cultural relevance has unquestionably diminished.
Richard Drew / AP Photo
For much of the 25 years he hosted ABC’s Nightline, Ted Koppel vied for the king of late-night television—his ratings were frequently north of both Leno and Letterman. But rather than continue to slog it out in the ratings wars, Koppel walked away from the show in 2005, warning viewers, “You've always been very nice to me, so give this new anchor team for Nightline a fair break. If you don't, I promise you the network will just put another comedy show in this time slot.” But perhaps someone should have warned him: He disappeared from relevance at a plum Discovery Channel gig, and then left after three years. Koppel worked as a contributing analyst for BBC News during the 2008 presidential election, but that platform is hardly the one he used to enjoy. Meanwhile, Nightline is seeing its best ratings since 1992-'93.
Haraz N. Ghanbari / AP Photo
Since the Queen of Nice left her morning talk show in 2001, the ride hasn’t always been so nice. A protracted legal battle with Gruner & Jahr over her namesake magazine was a clear low point—a judge ultimately threw out the case out and ruled in favor of neither party—but her stint hosting The View a few years back looked to be a rebound. The show earned its best ratings in years. But the relationship between O’Donnell and View creator Barbara Walters soon fizzled, and she left the show less than a year after joining. Other gigs have gone smoother for O’Donnell, like a sharp cameo on Curb Your Enthusiasm this season, and a performance in Nora and Delia Ephron’s play, which drew a rave in The New York Times. This month, thanks to her friend Howard Stern, O’Donnell launched Rosie Radio on SiriusXM.
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Couric’s decision to leave the Today show in 2006 to become the first solo woman anchor on network television was among the most second-guessed career moves of the decade. Her CBS Evening News ratings have been disappointing, and the size of her audience has certainly shrunk since her days on morning TV, but she’s also delivered solid stories, both on 60 Minutes and on her new Web show @katiecouric. Couric’s interview with Sarah Palin from during the 2008 presidential campaign remains a watershed moment in the election.
Richard Drew / AP Photo
David Caruso’s career arc is a classic case of be careful what you wish for. In 1993, he signed on to NYPD Blue and became TV's breakout star. Four episodes into the second season, Caruso (much like Chevy Chase on Saturday Night Live) decided it was time to move on, as film roles poured in. Unfortunately for Caruso, they all bombed. For the next half decade, he was in career purgatory, until 2002, when he returned to TV again—as a cop—on CSI: Miami. With the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced show, Caruso is once again enjoying TV stardom. Until he decides he wants to be a movie star.
CBS
From 1980 to 1997, Lunden was the co-host of Good Morning America, and at one point was even named the country’s favorite morning anchor in a magazine poll. Her exit from the show was voluntary, but came at a time when the ratings gap between GMA and Today was widening. Since she said goodbye America, Lunden has been little-seen on television, anchoring specials for A&E and on Direct TV, one of which was the Emmy-winning America’s Invisible Children.
Michael Schmelling / AP Photo
No one encapsulates going out on top quite like Jerry Seinfeld. In 1998, he walked away from the No. 1 show in America. There wasn’t a bigger gig, there didn’t appear to be a grand plan. He was just tired of it, yada yada yada. Since then, he’s returned to standup, wrote and starred in the 2007 animated film, 2007’s Bee Movie, which grossed more than $100 million. And this season, along with the rest of the Seinfeld cast, he has been appearing on Curb Your Enthusiasm to give fans what they have always wanted—Seinfeld reunion. And a funny finale.
Dana Edelson, NBCU Photobank / AP Photo
There is just something incredibly difficult about leaving the Today show. Whether you leave voluntarily (as Katie Couric did), or if you were ousted (as Jane Pauley and Deborah Norville were), what follows is always complicated. Bryant Gumbel left Today in 1997, after 15 years, for a plum deal at CBS. It lasted just five years—and included a return to morning television—but it wasn’t a success. These days, Gumbel hosts Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO. It’s unquestionably a smaller gig, though the Los Angeles Times has called it the “best sports show on television.” Emmy voters agree— Real Sports has won 15 Emmys since 1995.
C. Blankenhorn, NBC NewsWire / AP Photo
If David Caruso is the cautionary tale about leaving a monster-size TV show, George Clooney is the happy ending. In 1999, he left ER when it was the biggest show on television, and has since appeared in everything from blockbusters like the Oceans 11 franchise to smart, smaller movies with the Coen Brothers. In 2005, Clooney had a career year—he received Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Good Night and Good Luck, his second directorial effort. And that year, he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Syriana. His next film, Up in the Air, will be released next month and is already receiving Oscar buzz.
Sven Arnstein, NBCU Photo Bank / AP Photo
