‘Degrassi’ Star Katie Lai Reveals the Motive She Stop the Present After 2 Seasons

Katie Lai is getting candid about her days on Degrassi: The Subsequent Era.

Followers of the long-running Canadian teen drama keep in mind Lai as Kendra Mason, the adoptive sister of Gavin “Spinner” Mason, performed by Shane Warren Kippel.

Greater than 20 years after exiting the present after starring on it for 2 seasons from 2002-2004, per IMDb, Lai, 35, opened up about her departure throughout an look on The Degrassi Child Podcast.

“The explanation I gave is that I used to be below contract however not getting plenty of display time,” stated Lai.

The actress stated she approached Degrassi co-creator and producer Linda Schuyler and stated she “want to be launched as a result of because of the contract I am on maintain, which suggests I can not audition for different issues, and I need to sort of discover extra roles.”

“I need to do extra in theater and I can not if I am tied down by this contract,” Lai recalled saying on the time.

Nonetheless, Lai claimed on the podcast that the “precise purpose” she left the present was “as a result of I used to be bullied so badly I wished to throw up each time I needed to go to set.”

“I beloved appearing a lot, however the bullying was to the extent that I didn’t need to rise up and do my favourite factor on the earth as a result of I could not deal with arriving on set and having all of it begin once more,” she stated.

Lai stated she did not need to inform any of the producers “the actual purpose” she was exiting the present, “as a result of I did not need any of the forged members to be known as up on something.”

“I did not need it to get out into the media that this was occurring, I did not need to have to take a seat by means of he stated, she stated,” Lai stated. “I did not need to must give you proof or proof. I simply wished all of it to cease.”

Whereas Lai did not give any particular particulars in regards to the alleged on-set bullying, she claimed that “it wasn’t everyone” who was doing the bullying, however it was one thing that was occurring “on a regular basis.” She stated she believed the one approach to get it to cease was to “stroll away.”

“And sadly that was additionally basically the tip of my profession as a result of you understand I by no means labored on this city once more. I could not deal with going by means of what I knew would have been a tough investigation and any sort of allegations or rumors that might come out of it,” she stated.

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Lai, nevertheless, famous that she displays on her time on Degrassi as “bittersweet,” and makes use of it as a “springboard,” each time in comes up in dialog to debate her different pursuits like theater and music.