Jared Padalecki Blasts The CW For Canceling 'Walker,' Says He's 'Disillusioned' About Industry After 24 Years on TV

In an interview with Variety, published on Tuesday, the actor blasted the network -- which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group -- for canceling Walker, criticizing The CW for appearing to be trading in quality scripted television shows for "really easy, cheap content."

"I feel like The CW that I was a part of last year is not The CW that I was a part of under [former chairman and CEO] Mark Pedowitz for that entire, almost 20-year stretch," Padalecki said. "They're just changing the network around, where it's not really going to be a TV network as much as it's going to be, 'Here's something fun for an hour that you'll never watch again, but hopefully you watch it. And it's cheap!' And I hate to say that, but I'm just being honest. I mean, f--k it. They can't fire me again. I'm just being brutally honest. I think it felt to me like they were looking for really easy, cheap content that they could fill up time with."

Padalecki made his debut on the network in 2000 with his breakout role as Dean Forester on Gilmore Girls, appearing in the series until 2005 when he was cast in Supernatural. The WB became The CW in 2006, and Supernatural remained on the network for a whopping 11 seasons, before it signed off in 2020. The next year, Padalecki led -- and produced -- Walker, a reimagining of the Chuck Norris classic. The CW canceled the series last month as the fourth season was airing. The Walker series finale aired on Wednesday.

When Variety asked Padalecki if The CW gave him a reason for the cancellation -- such as budget -- he said, "Yeah. I talked with the head of CBS [Studios] and the head of Nexstar/CW, I talked with the other [executive producers] on Walker, and I think it was a multivariate kind of issue."

"My understanding is -- and again, this is just what I'm told -- that Nexstar is going in a different direction with The CW," he added of the media company, which acquired The CW in 2022. "I mean, they have an hour of Trivial Pursuit and an hour of Scrabble coming up. I don't know why you wouldn’t just download the app or grab a board game and play with your friends, but they're clearly just -- what's that great quote? It's like, 'If somebody tells you who they are, ask questions. If somebody shows you who they are, believe them.'"

During an interview with TVLine, Padalecki opened up about his 24 years on network television, revealed how he's feeling now, and shared his thoughts on how he feels about the industry now.

"I was exhausted 20 years ago," he said with a laugh. "I am. I am exhausted. When I found out that Walker was not going to go for a fifth season, that was on a Tuesday, and I left for Europe on a Friday, part work, part fun. But I was in Europe for like three and a half weeks with family and a little bit of work, a lot of travel. So I’ve only been in the United States four days in the last month, and so, I haven’t really had time to fully grasp it."

"But yes, I'm tired. I'm tired. I'm grateful. Like, I'm not digging ditches. I'm not doing Red Cross work and saving human beings," he added. "But yeah, I'm pretty tired. I'm a little disillusioned about the state of the industry that I've loved and been employed with for 24 years. So I have a lot of thinking to do, and I have a lot of time to be with my wife and our kids, my friends, and think about where this industry is."

As for what's next for Padalecki, he said he doesn't think he wants to be attached to a long-running television show again, but alluded that he's interested in maybe something smaller that doesn't require him to make as many sacrifices, especially being away from his family.

"With TV shows, sometimes it lasts 15 years, and sometimes they say, 'Hey, where do you live? OK, we're shooting in Vancouver," said Padalecki, who shares kids Thomas, Austin, and Odette with wife Genevieve Padalecki. "You say, 'But my family, my wife and kids are in Austin.' Like, 'Well, good for them. They can come move up here. Here’s a thousand bucks to fly them out.' It’s not for the weak-spirited. Like, you really have to sacrifice a lot, and I’ve sacrificed everything I have to sacrifice for many, many years, and I think I’m at a point in my life where I want to spend more time with my wife and kids."

"If a job on a TV show comes up, like I've talked to Kripke about The Boys stuff, like, 'Yeah, I’ll come play with you for a month. Yeah, I'll come play with you for two months, for six weeks, or whatever' or 'Yeah, I'll come pop in a week out of every month for the next three months.'"