David Duchovny Explains Why He Stepped Away From THE X-FILES During Season 8

It was pretty rough for fans when David Duchovny ended up stepping away from The X-Files halfway through Season 8. I remember wondering why he would leave the show, and then not long after I saw him star in that sci-fi movie Evolution.

I remember thinking, why would Duchovny leave such a great show to star in such a mediocre movie? But, the actor shared why he ended up leaving the show for a time.

While speaking with The Times, he said: “That was just me wanting to have a family, but also to try other things. It had kind of taken up my life.”

He went on to explain that there were no hard feelings over it: “There was no animosity with the actual show and the people that I worked with. I am proud of the show — it was culturally central in a way that it’s very hard to do these days in a fragmented landscape.

“There’s so many lightning-strike aspects to it that I can’t help but think of it as some kind of a miracle.”

At the time is was so jarring and weird watching the show when Duchovy left. In fact, I even stopped watching the show after because it just didn’t feel the same.

I eventually did end up finishing the series, but it wasn’t until rewatching the series years later that I appreciated the episodes without Duchovny’s involvement more. The creative team did such a great job with that show all the way up to the end.