Daniel Dae Kim on 'Hawaii Five-0' Exit: 'The Path to Equality Is Rarely Easy'
TV

In response to Daniel's Facebook post, CBS issues a statement, saying that it 'tried very hard to keep them with offers for large and significant salary increase.'

AceShowbiz - Daniel Dae Kim breaks silence for the first time following the announcement of his and Grace Park's shocking exit from CBS' "Hawaii Five-0" due to salary dispute. The actor has taken to his Facebook page to open up the reasons behind his decision to leave the series.

"I will not be returning to 'Hawaii Five-0' when production starts next week. Though I made myself available to come back, CBS and I weren't able to agree to terms on a new contract, so I made the difficult choice not to continue," Daniel writes in the heartfelt message. He later continues thanking the "crew, writers and everyone associated with the show-and especially the cast, who have been nothing but supportive through this entire process."

He adds, "I also want to say thank you to Peter Lenkov, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and everyone at CBS. I will always be grateful for their faith in me to bring Chin Ho Kelly to life. As an Asian American actor, I know first-hand how difficult it is to find opportunities at all, let alone play a well developed, three dimensional character like Chin Ho. I will miss him sincerely."

"Finally, I want to thank all of you, the fans. I've read your messages and I can't tell you how much they've meant to me," he goes on writing. "I never, ever forget that YOU are the reason 'Hawaii Five-0' is the success that it is, and interacting with you online and in person around the world(!) has been one of the greatest joys of this entire experience. I'm so sorry we won't be continuing this journey together."

"I'll end by saying that though transitions can be difficult, I encourage us all to look beyond the disappointment of this moment to the bigger picture. The path to equality is rarely easy. But I hope you can be excited for the future. I am. 5-0 continues on after one of its strongest seasons. I've got new acting projects on the horizon, and as a producer, my company, 3AD, has its first show, 'The Good Doctor', set to air this fall on ABC. I hope you'll tune in. There's a lot to look forward to and I'll be sure to share it with you. In the meantime," he concludes his message.

In response to Daniel's Facebook post, CBS issues a statement. "Daniel and Grace have been important and valued members of Hawaii Five-0 for seven seasons," the statement reads. The network continues saying that it "didn't want to lose them and tried very hard to keep them with offers for large and significant salary increase," before adding, "While we could not reach an agreement, we part ways with tremendous respect for their talents on screen, as well as their roles as ambassadors for the show off screen, and with hopes to work with them again in the near future."

It was reported previously that Daniel and Grace would not returning for season 8 of the long-running series after the network offered a deal which was 10 to 15|percent| lower to their co-stars Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan. Daniel and Grace played cousins Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua respectively. Season 7 ended with Kelly ready to head a task force in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Kalakaua left to investigate a sex trafficking ring involving children. It remains to be seen whether or not their absence will be addressed in the upcoming season.

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