Community Loses Another Star for Season 6—Find Out Who's Not Returning and Why!

Another Greendale student has exited the Yahoo Screen series for personal reasons

By Sydney Bucksbaum Oct 01, 2014 12:06 AMTags
Community, CastVivian Zink/NBC

Community is about to get a lot less "nice" in season six.

Yvette Nicole Brown, who has played loving mother Shirley for five seasons on the NBC critically-loved comedy, will not be returning for season six on Yahoo Screen, E! News has confirmed. 

Brown asked Sony to be released from her contract for personal reasons, and Sony Pictures TV and executive producers Dan Harmon and Chris McKenna have honored her request. This will make her the third Community vet not returning for the new season in addition to Donald Glover and Chevy Chase

So why did Brown ask to be released from her contract? 

Because she's a great daughter. "My dad needs daily care and he needs me," Brown told TVGuide.com. "The idea of being away 16 hours a day for five months, I couldn't do it. It was a difficult decision for me to make, but I had to choose my dad."

Both Harmon and McKenna understood why Brown asked to leave, and released a joint statement wishing her all the best. "Yvette was an integral part of Community and is irreplaceable," the statement reads. "We are sad to see her go."

While we don't know how Community will explain Shirley's absence onscreen, this doesn't mean that Brown will never be seen on the Yahoo Screen series. She's leaving on good terms with the network and showrunners and has even made it clear that she's open to returning as a guest star. 

"I am totally open to whatever Dan decides," Brown says. "I'm glad it won't be hard for them to explain where she is. She has three kids, a degree and a business. There are a lot of ways to explain her [departure]."

Brown took to her Twitter to thank her castmates and show her fans love after news of her exit broke. 

"Thanks for the years of laughs & love @danharmon @joelmchale @gillianjacobs @dannypudi @alisonbrie @kenjeong @RashIsTVUgly & @donaldglover, Brown writes. "& thanks to the AWESOME #Community fans! You #HumanBeings are forever #StreetsAhead. Thanks for understanding my tough decision & your love. And thank you #SONY for your understanding. I will never forget what your kindness has done for my family."

Aww, that's nice.

While we're sad to see Brown go, we totally understand why she has to exit the series. So excuse us while we drown our sorrows by re-watching old, Shirley-filled episodes of Community!