Tia Mowry and Pooch Hall are leaving “The Game” after starring on the BET comedy series since its 2006 debut and will not return as regular cast members for the upcoming sixth season.
The two play couple Melanie Barnett and football star Derwin “Ding Dong” Davis. The actress announced her departure on Twitter on Tuesday, the day her first book was released, saying: “It was an incredible run and I had lots of fun.” A BET spokesperson told OnTheRedCarpet.com on Thursday, May 17, that Hall was also leaving, adding that the cable network hopes he and Mowry will return for guest appearances.
“It was definitely a mutual decision,” Mowry, 33, said on the VH1 show “Big Morning Buzz Live.” “It was, you know, time for me to go. I’m moving onto other things, like writing this book and I just finished doing a movie on ABC Family and then I’m working on this show with my sister, “Tia & Tamara.” I’m very busy but I like being busy. It’s fun.”
Mowry and her twin sister Tamara rose to fame with the long-running 1990s sitcom “Sister, Sister.” Their Style network reality series “Tia & Tamera” debuted in 2011. Its second season premieres on June 11. The first installment documented Mowry’s pregnancy. She gave birth to her first child, son Cree, in June 2011. She offers pregnancy advice in her new book, “Oh, Baby!: Pregnancy Tales and Advice from One Hot Mama to Another.”
Mowry’s sister Tamara is currently expecting her own first baby.
Mowry told OnTheRedCarpet.com last month that she really don’t have a lot of “me time” and did not rule out the possibility of spending less time on acting projects and more on being a mother and helping to educate other moms.
Mowry’s ABC Family film, “Mistle-Tones,” is set to premiere on in December as part of the cable channel’s annual “25 Days of Christmas” programming event. The movie also stars Tori Spelling and “Family Matters” alum Reginald VelJohnson.
Mowry plays Holly, a talented singer who auditions for a spot in a Christmas group her late mother had founded. Spelling plays its leader’s best friend, Marci, and gets the job instead. Holly then creates her own musical group and challenges Marci’s to a sing-off on Christmas Eve. VelJohnson plays her father.
“The Game” is currently on its fifth season and was renewed for a sixth in April. Hall, 36, was earlier this year cast in a drama pilot for the Showtime cable network. The project, called “Ray Donovan,” stars Liev Schreiber as the title character, a professional “fixer” for Los Angeles’ rich and famous. Hall plays a boxer named Daryll.
Hall had Tweeted about the project in early May, saying that he and BET “got love for each other… They are wrkin it out. … showtime said I can still do The Game… (sic)”
The BET spokesperson said: “As a result of Pooch’s involvement on a new project, BET is in the process of reworking the casting and storyline of the show. That said, we hope both Pooch and Tia will make several guest appearances.”
“While we will miss the incredible adventures of Melanie and Derwin on ‘The Game,’ we appreciate all of their hard work, the laughs and wish them both the best on their future endeavors,” the spokesperson added. “Season six will continue to feature the amazing Wendy Raquel Robinson, Coby Bell, Hosea Chanchez, Brandy Norwood and of course, Barry A. Floyd.”
Norwood joined the show earlier this season. Robinson, Bell, Chanchez and Floyd have starred in the series since its debut.
