Don Knotts said this was the question he was always asked when speaking in public

Knotts finally gave us the answer we were looking for.

August 21, 2024, 5:11PM By MeTV Staff

CBS Television Distribution

The reason Don Knotts left The Andy Griffith Show isn't a great big secret. However, in his memoir, Barney Fife and Other Characters I Have Known, Knotts revealed that he was still questioned about his departure years later.

"I do personal appearances from time to time, and at the end of my show I take questions from the audience," wrote Knotts. Without fail, I am asked why I left The Andy Griffith Show at the end of five seasons."

Lucky for us, Knotts was able to explain everything succinctly. "The answer is simply this: Andy had always insisted that he would never go beyond five years, so during our fifth year, I naturally thought it might be a good idea to start looking around for another job," he wrote. "I began meeting people at the studios and networks, and since I was pretty hot at the time, I started getting some pretty attractive television offers. It was along this time that Andy told me he had changed his mind and he had decided to stay on another three years."

Knotts was presented with two choices, and he went with his gut. "It's true that I had not yet signed another contract with Universal, but I had made a verbal commitment and my mind was pretty set on trying to start a picture career," he wrote. "This was an opportunity that might never present itself again."

So, Knotts chose to leave the show, but he didn't depart without his worries. After all, the cast of The Andy Griffith Show had become like a family. "It was tough to leave the show, of course," he said. "It had been the richest and most rewarding experience of my entire life. A defining event. I wondered if I would ever have that much fun again."