Jennie Garth Apologizes to Dalton James About His Abrupt Departure from “Beverly Hills, 90210 ”After 12 Episodes

• Dalton James, who appeared in season 7 of Beverly Hills, 90210, appeared on the 90210MG podcast to talk about why his character Mark Reese was written out of the show

• Jennie Garth, whose character Kelly Taylor was his onscreen love interest, apologized to James for the role she played in getting him cut from the show

• Garth said that ultimately the decision came down to chemistry

Actor Dalton James joined Beverly Hills, 90210 as Mark Reese in the show’s seventh season, which aired from 1996 to 1997. The character was a love interest for Jennie Garth’s Kelly Taylor.

Though he was originally contracted for a full season, James, 51, only appeared in 12 episodes before leaving the series abruptly. On the March 9 episode of the 90210MG podcast, Garth, 52, and cohost Tori Spelling, 51, spoke to James about how he ended up joining and leaving the show — and about Garth’s role in his departure.

James revealed that he didn’t have to audition, but was “offered” the part by Tori’s late father and executive producer Aaron Spelling. “I had done a couple of pilots for him previously that didn't get picked up,” he explained. “And then Aaron came to me and he said, 'Would you like to do 90210?' And I said, 'Sure, why not?' ”

James admitted it was “a little scary” because “you guys were an iconic show for one, and you guys were like a family already.” He was “a little bit nervous” shooting his first scene with Jason Priestley, but he was “fine” from then on.

On the podcast, Garth said she wanted to “just address ... the elephant in the room” and have a “really open, honest conversation” about why James’ character “didn’t continue forward on the show.” Garth said that she and Tori have heard through their work on the podcast that it came down to the “chemistry factor” she did or didn't have with James.

Related: Jason Priestley Talks Relationship Dynamic of 90210 Cast 25 Years Later — and Admits Not Much Has Changed (Exclusive)

James remembered a producer pulled him aside and told him he was being let go. “I was pretty bummed about it, to be honest,” the actor said. But, he added, “We were all young. I don’t have any ill feelings at all.  And you know, it was a great job. It was a great opportunity and I made some great money.” James added that he was also going through a “hard time” when he was on the show, as he’d just become a new father and was struggling with depression.

Garth said, “I'm really glad to hear you say that, because I've been seeing the character and then remembering and then hearing from different people how that all happened.” The actress added, “When you're young like that, you don't really look at things objectively from different perspectives.”

When she told producers, “ 'I don't feel like the chemistry between these characters is working out,' ” she explained, “I didn't really look at how that impacted you or your future, and I just I'm glad to hear you say that you don't harbor feelings about it, because I would hate that.”

The hosts also asked if James ever talked to Aaron Spelling about his departure. He said it was another producer who told him. “And I was like, 'What did I do wrong?' ” James remembered. “That's the thing I asked him, and he said, ‘We just decided to go a different way.’ ” And though it was “disappointing,” James said it was also “fine.”

Garth said she was “so happy” they were able to talk about it. “I was also nervous about it and just wondering, like where you had landed with all of that after all these years, and if talking about it brought back stuff,” she said. “But I'm sorry for my part in whatever happened, if that had a negative effect on you in any way.”

James said, “That's awesome, Thank you, and I'm sorry as well for my part.” He added that it was “really cool” of Garth to talk about it with him.

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In a 2010 interview, 90210 writer Larry Mollin said that the writers knew Garth “didn’t like” James, but Aaron told them that he had to be written out because he was “antisemitic.” Mollin said, “[Jennie] didn’t [complain regularly] and was a tireless and loyal cast member from the get-go to the end.”

Mollin claimed that Aaron knew the writers would “resist” writing Mark out of the show, so he lied about James being antisemitic so that the writers wouldn’t complain. Mollin reiterated the story on a 2021 episode of the Beverly Hills Show Podcast. 

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