Mar 22, 2014 at 10:55 pm

'The Originals' Cast Attends PaleyFest Panel After Claire Holt's Shocking Exit!

Joseph Morgan, Claire Holt, and Daniel Gillies hit the carpet at the PaleyFest panel for their show The Originals on Saturday evening (March 22) at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

They were joined at the event by co-stars Phoebe Tonkin, Charles Michael Davis, Leah Pipes, and Danielle Campbell, as well as show creator Julie Plec, Daniel‘s wife Rachael Leigh Cook, and Joseph‘s girlfriend Persia White.

The panel comes just a week and a half after Claire‘s shocking exit from the series.

“It’s ludicrous,” Claire recently shared with Buzzfeed about the made up reports of why she exited the show. “I want to be very clear that they didn’t run out of material, I wasn’t pushed out, I wasn’t fed up with Rebekah, I didn’t quit mid-season, there was no drama, there was no rift between cast members; it really came down to the fact that I completed my initial commitment and made a life choice, not a career choice.”

Claire continued, “This show has been so amazing for my career, and I’ve had such unbelievable material, it was just never my intention to be away from home this long. It was a tough choice that I didn’t fully make it right up until the end, because I was enjoying myself so much. But three seasons later, I realized I hadn’t been home to Australia in years, I hadn’t seen my family, and I hadn’t spent time with the people I loved…but I want to make it so clear that this show has such a special place in my heart. I am so glad I was able to do The Originals, and I want to be a part of that family for a long time. I am simply looking at this as a temporary absence.”

FYI: Phoebe is wearing a Camilla and Marc dress, Saint Laurent shoes, and JewelMint jewelry. Danielle is wearing a Sachin + Babi shirt, a Zara skirt, and alice + olivia shoes. Leah is wearing alice + olivia pants, a Mason top, Helmut Lang jacket, and Saint Laurent shoes.