The Originals Shocker: Who's Left the Series?
Matt Richenthal
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Yes, she really is gone.
Fans waiting for some kind of twist at the conclusion of The Originals Season 1 Episode 16 were in for a surprise when Claire Holt's Rebekah said her goodbyes, hit the open road and appeared to truly be leaving the series for good.
That's because she has.
BuzzFeed has confirmed that Holt has chosen to exit the hit CW drama and will only return for the occasional guest appearance... if at all.
Neither Holt nor creator Julie Plec has commented on this shocker, which has been kept a secret and which comes mere weeks after The Originals was picked up for a second season.
Reportedly, Holt - who debuted way back on The Vampire Diaries Season 3 - simply wanted a change in career direction; though The Wrap reports that producers made the call.
It seems impossible to believe that the star would want out of such a golden opportunity... and also impossible to believe that producers could conceive of a better Originals without one of The Originals.
We'll have plenty more on this story when news breaks, and Miranda Wicker will soon post her detailed Originals review of "Farewell to Storyville," (NOTE: The review is live) but... wow. We did not see this coming.
Relive the best Rebekah Miakelson quotes now and react to this development below:
Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.
