Despite a bumpy ending after three seasons on The Walking Dead, series star Michael Rooker says he feels no ill will towards the show’s creative team. The professional understands that this is just how the cookie crumbles and — like it or not – is the way of the industry. Jobs come, jobs go, and you just have to move on. During a recent chat with TMZ, the Cliffhanger star likened his departure from AMC’s hit zombie-centered series to that of his Horizon co-star and director, Kevin Costner, who flew the coop on his hit series, Yellowstone, just ahead of the show’s ending. Along with some words of affirmation for Costner, reassuring the man behind John Dutton that he would still be loved by the fanbase, Rooker also took some jabs at the writers behind The Walking Dead, commenting,

“But we all [move on]. That’s what we do. We’re actors. We move on. We do The Walking Dead . I get killed off. I don’t know why. They don’t know how to write for the character! So, I move on.”

So, yes, while Rooker has moved on with his life and career, things still might not be as peachy with the folks behind The Walking Dead as his first few words made it seem. Like his on-screen brother, Daryl, played by Norman Reedus, Rooker’s Merle was a personality created specifically for the series and never appeared in the comic books. Misogynist, racist, and fully stuck in his ways, Merle was a hard character for the audience to come around to, but by Season 3, he had a full redemption arc only to be struck down, brought back as a zombie, and killed again by his beloved brother.

Michael Rooker Says Merle Is Still A Fan Favorite

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While Reedus’ Daryl may have not only gone on to survive the show’s eleven-season run but also nab an uber-successful spin-off aptly titled The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Merle earned his redemption and fully bowed out. Even though he didn’t appear in the latter eight seasons of The Walking Dead, Rooker says that he still gets recognized for the part and that the fandom never turned its back on him. Sending well wishes to Costner, who may now be worried about his Yellowstone followers, Rooker explained,

“They’re still there. My fans from The Walking Dead , the Merle Dixon fans, they’re still there. And nothing wrong with that. Yes [ Yellowstone fans will still love Costner]. It’ll be okay.”

Rooker and Costner can now be seen working alongside one another in the first part of Horizon, now in cinemas. Longtime fans and newcomers alike can check out all 11 seasons of The Walking Dead which are now streaming on Netflix.