Fans Never Understood Why Topher Grace Left That ’70s Show (Until Now)

Years after it ended, That ’70s Show remains iconic. Yet the show hasn’t been free of controversy, especially when rumors swirled about why Topher Grace, arguably one of the most important cast members, decided to duck out early.

Fans theorized that Topher didn’t get along with cast mates, but his official reason for leaving the show was that he wanted to pursue other projects. In the years since the show ended, with new information to mull over, fans have a theory that’s quite a bit darker.

Topher Grace Made Millions From That ’70s Show

As Eric Forman, Topher Grace won hearts and a massive paycheck. The series made him millions—around $14 million, in fact.

It was the $300K-per-episode earnings that had fans baffled when Topher announced he would be leaving the series. The show staggered on for a bit without him but ultimately ended in its eighth season, in which Topher only guest-starred.

Topher would later give interviews where he stated the money wasn’t everything; “I realized then that I didn’t really need a lot more money.” Topher explained that he essentially had a passion for indie film that he wanted to follow.

Calling himself “lucky” to have worked on the long-running sitcom, Topher admitted that however cocky it sounded, he was only interested in working with “auteurs” on future projects.

Recently, though, fans surmised there might be another reason why Grace may have pushed for an end to That ’70s Show.

Fans Think Topher Wanted Out Because Of Creepy Co-Stars

Topher leaving the cast wasn’t the only drama That ’70s Show would weather, even if it was after the show ended that allegations came out against cast members.

Danny Masterson’s alleged crimes made headlines, sparking controversy and speculation over what his behavior was like on the set of the show (a set that included a very young Mila Kunis, for one thing).

While some cast members kept mum, Topher explained in an interview that he had never seen any troubling behavior from Masterson. In the same statement, though, he elaborated that he was “boring” and didn’t go out with the cast and crew, which seems to suggest he didn’t spend a ton of time with his co-star.

Today, fans suspect that there were signs Masterson was problematic, but also that another star was complicating the show’s wholesome image, too.

While Fez was always a delightfully off-color character on the show, Wilmer Valderrama ran into some problems of his own when he dated Demi Lovato. The math didn’t seem to come up during their relationship, but a new song by Demi Lovato plainly alleges that Wilmer took advantage by dating her when she was 17; Valderrama was 29.

Discussing Demi’s song and the problematic relationship as a whole, That ’70s Show fans had some thoughts. While Wilmer seemingly didn’t date Demi until the show had ended (or at least very close to it), fans say he did bring an underage girl (that he was dating) on as a guest star. That guest star was Lindsay Lohan, though Wilmer is also said to have dated an underage Mandy Moore.

One commenter wrote of Topher that it “turns out he just didn’t feel comfortable around creepy people,” noting that many people thought Grace was simply a jerk who didn’t care about his co-stars.

Now, they assume “that Topher didn’t want to hang out in that atmosphere all the time for the rest of the show because he was an adult man just focusing on his career.”

Echoing the sentiment that maybe, apart from Masterson and Valderrama’s questionable pasts, Topher perhaps didn’t have much in common with his co-stars, other fans piped up their concerns about other “sus” co-stars.

At that time, Laura Prepon was apparently part of the church of Scientology, which most recognize as a tough institution to rub elbows with. Recently, fans became a bit suspicious of Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis endorsing crypto.

In sum, fans think Topher Grace was above it all—money, fame, and illegal temptations—and didn’t really care whether his career would suffer after leaving a successful sitcom.

Does Topher Grace Get Along With His Former Cast Members?

Despite fans’ assumptions about Topher Grace’s relationships with his former cast members, it seems that today, he has a decent relationship with everyone.

After all, he has appeared on That ’90s Show and doesn’t seem averse to diving back into the ’70s universe. But like any other film or TV project, the cast likely isn’t as close today given that they’ve gone in different directions in life.

Still, Topher hasn’t had any thing negative to say, which fans appreciate, and seems focused on continuing with meaningful projects while living his best life.