Larry Wilcox Historically Left 'CHiPs' Before Its Final Season Due to Drama Behind the Scenes

It may be over 40 years since the original CHiPs has gone off the air, but it still left an impressive and memorable legacy behind. It was last revived as a film in 2017, and following the series’ end in 1983, its stars have come together numerous times to fulfill the obsessions of the fanbase. In fact, star Larry Wilcox, who played Officer Jonathan “Jon” Andrew Baker, still appears in public and signs autographs for fans.

But despite CHiPs lasting six seasons, Larry only lasted five. As he continues to stay in the public eye on Twitter, many fans wonder why he decided to leave CHiPs all those years ago. So, why did he leave?

When Larry left CHiPs, he was one of two leading men who carried the show on his shoulders. However, his on-set tension with his co-star, Erik Estrada, who portrayed the more volatile Officer Francis “Frank Ponch” Poncherello, may have set him over the edge.

When Larry got married in 1980, he gave fans a behind-the-scenes look into his relationship with Erik during a People interview when he shared why he didn’t invite Erik to his wedding. “I gave it a lot of thought and decided not to invite him,” Larry shared.

“There’s no point going around telling people Erik is my best chum because he’s not and never will be. After all, Erik didn’t invite me to his wedding four months ago nor to his recent birthday party. I wanted to show more class and invite him anyhow, but it went against my grain.”

In the same interview, Larry made a slight toward Erik’s acting skills, sharing how he really felt about Erik starring opposite him.

“I thought it was asinine to pick someone just for being photogenic,” Larry said of Erik getting picked out of 150 potential co-stars. “You had two competitive actors needing to say, ‘Hey, my talent’s bigger than yours.’ It was an ego problem. That first year we talked our problems over, sober and drunk. We’d get things squared away for a week or two, then the whole thing would start over.”

By Season 5, Larry felt that Erik received slight favoritism from producers, so he decided to step away from CHiPs. In addition, Larry’s official fan website states that the real reason he left was “to pursue other creative projects.” It continued, “He didn’t feel challenged on the show anymore and found the studio politics draining.”

And although Larry may have left because of the drama on set, it seems Larry and Erik have patched things up in the years since. “According to Larry, [he and Erik] are really enjoying seeing each other at the various personal appearances they do together,” the fan website states.

In fact, even during filming at the height of their tension, Larry said the two were friendly. “We’re still sociable,” Larry stated. “We say good morning and sometimes we even have lunch together. But I’m frustrated over the whole matter. Erik and I are just totally different human beings, and I can’t get a good relationship going.”

Perhaps a little more life experience got them to a good place where they could appear and work together for the CHiPs fans, regardless of their complicated friendship history.