Pretty Little Liars Star Reveals They Were Fired From Show Amid Body and Drug Use Issues

One of the stars of Pretty Little Liars is revealing the real reason why she left the show. In a recent episode of her podcast, Ned’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide, Lindsey Shaw spoke about her tenure in the recurring role of Pretty Little Liars‘ Paige McCullers, the girlfriend of Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell). According to Shaw, whose work also includes 10 Things I Hate About You and Faking It, her departure in Pretty Little Liars‘ fifth season was because she was fired from the show, due to her struggles with drug use and body image issues.

“It was so bad,” Shaw explained. I got called into Pretty Little Liars‘ creator’s [I. Marlene King] office. And she was just like, ‘So we’re gonna let you go,’” Shaw recalled. “She was like, ‘It’s not because of your acting, but do you have anybody to talk to?’ And I was like, ‘No,’ you know? She’s like, ‘Well, find somebody,’ and ‘We have to let you go now.’”

Shaw revealed that she her “dumb cycle” of drug abuse and body image issues ultimately impacted her work on Pretty Little Liars, as she eventually went through a “whole season” of the show while under the influence of drugs. 

“When I had my problem and I was in between working on stuff, I would never have to address my relationship with food because it was like, I could always just go get more Adderall,” Shaw shared. “It was really an embarrassing thing. I didn’t look good too skinny and then when I started to put the weight back on, I couldn’t handle being too heavy.”

Is There a Pretty Little Liars Spinoff?

A sequel to Pretty Little Liars, titled Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, premiered on the Max streaming service in July of 2022. Original Sin has since been renewed for a second season, which is confirmed to be featuring the return of Pretty Little Liars star Annabeth Gish as Doctor Sullivan.

In Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, twenty years ago, a series of tragic events almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart. Now, in present day, a disparate group of teen girls — a brand-new set of Little Liars — find themselves tormented by an unknown Assailant and made to pay for the secret sin committed by their parents two decades ago…as well as their own. In the dark, coming-of-age, horror-tinged drama PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: ORIGINAL SIN, we find ourselves miles away from Rosewood, but within the existing Pretty Little Liars universe — in a brand-new town, with a new generation of Little Liars.

Bailee Madison stars as Imogen Adams, Chandler Kinney as Tabby Haworthe, Zaria as Faran Bryant, Maia Reficco as Noa Olivar, Mallory Bechtel as Karen/Kelly Beasley, Sharon Leal as Sidney Haworthe, Elena Goode as Marjorie Olivar, Eric Johnson as Sheriff Tom Beasley, Alex Aiono as Shawn Noble and Lea Salonga as Elodie Honrada. The series is spearheaded by Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, as well as fellow Chilling Adventures of Sabrina alum Lindsay Calhoon Bring, Alloy Entertainment, and Warner Bros. TV.