T.J. Miller on Why He REALLY Left Silicon Valley

Comedian T.J. Miller breaks down the real reasons he left the hit HBO show Silicon Valley, how Mike Judge and the cast reacted, and how his character was originally supposed to be killed off.

[@PopNLock]

"I don't have much ego, unlike everybody else. I have the least ego. I'm literally the most humble person."

[@mattstarf4294]

He's even worse, he is a comedian as well!

[@yung_broccolini]

Isn't this total nonsense? He was fired. Mike Judge said that he didn't really like being on the show, and others stated that he was constantly late to filming and was basically dragging his feet through the show.

[@skiordie188]

Isn’t that kinda what he said

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

Did he say he was dedicated and loved being there after 3 seasons?

[@dancoyle6911]

@@CIRCLEOFTONE lol don’t act like what he said is what Mike said. He was fired. Did he say that?

[@bernlin2000]

Mike Judge is the most chill guy in TV production...whatever the problem was, it wasn't with Judge.

[@soicybunny]

right? i heard he was basically his character in the show also irl. sadly. he’s immediately trying to justify shit behavior

[@treg.2189]

is your refrigerator running? this is mike hunt

[@rweaver90]

Why yes, of course I have frog’s legs. Why do you ask?

[@Atomsk359]

This is you, as an old man

[@treg.2189]

@Atomsk359 I'm sorry to hear that future me, what a terrible thing. I'll take to you in several years

[@stephaniecollins6052]

Does you Eric have a Chinese accent?

[@lcceo22]

The “real to TJ Miller” reason why he left Silicon Valley😂

[@nohedidnt777]

I was a PA on the show and he did not leave he got booted from the show because he was difficult to work with and thought he was a bigger than life.

[@DrinkinBrosPodcast]

No shit?

[@grimmWednesday]

It’s hard to trust people who avoid using appropriate and customary internal punctuation.

[@Seanyz]

Well your show failed when he left

[@forgottenmma3694]

Miller dropped the ball not doing a cameo the final season

[@stevensilver2880]

Bc he was fired lol

[@victorespino5650]

​@@stevensilver2880and dead

[@buzzknutson]

He wasn’t invited

[@biscuitboi9478]

Dude, he ain’t the show runner. He can’t just walk on set after being fired and say “I’m doing a cameo now!”

[@alainportant6412]

Studios are going to think twice before hiring a hothouse flower like that again. It's not like he was mainstream famous or anything.

[@dancoyle6911]

It’s amazing how he’s created an entire world in which he wasn’t fired for being a horrible person in many many ways. I encourage you… Look into TJ Miller. To be clear, it’s very possible that he is experiencing the effects of brain damage from a previous brain surgery he had, but dude has been increasingly more horrible with every year that has passed since he left that show, and if you ask the people who are on it, he was quite shitty while he was there too.

[@jeremywright1962]

I did not know this. I have followed him for like 10 years and in the beginning he was awesome and I really thought he was going to blow up in the standup world. Like the last few years it seems like he gets stranger and stranger and just more bizarre.

[@dancoyle6911]

@@jeremywright1962 yeah dude. I used to love his standup, partly because he was close with Pete Holmes, but he’s gotten worse year by year. Can’t do it no mo.

[@asap5629]

@@dancoyle6911 can you send me some links, i cant find shit, its all just clouded in mystery and vague descriptions where you cant really tell what happened.

[@davysmith8569]

Tj Miller is straight awful, hes equal to Brendan Schaub now. The writers really carried him, everything else ive seen him in, is just not good. On another podcast he said Ryan Reynolds wasnt good to work with i think it was deadpool. Long story short he may have a screw loose.

[@dancoyle6911]

@@davysmith8569 I mean…he does have brain damage from a surgery lol screw loose is one way to put it

[@checocavalera]

The show wasnt the same without him, the seasons 5 and 6 was less comedy and more drama.

[@user-nj1zu2nf1x]

It was not as good you're right but his head got so big so quick he ruined it.

[@Mclovinit8171]

It felt like by the end of season 4 they were writing Richard as more of a morally corrupt person like Erlich, and although it made sense it felt very forced and like a way to fill the spot they were going to be writing out. It felt very forced bc the other seasons building up yes richard made some bad decisions but they were never inheritenily selfish for his own gains like at the end of the fourth season

[@CaR1235100]

​@user-nj1zu2nf1x maybe they could've just changed his name to Big Head?

[@futbolusa]

I actually really like the show still. There were plenty of good characters, that I found funnier than him but you’re right it did take a more serious tone at times.

[@enginerdy]

@@Mclovinit8171Silicon Valley is supposed to be the story of how the main guys become Peter Gregory and Gavin Belson. They have to change, that’s the point.

[@babayega1717]

This guy is the " _there's another reason actually_ " brand ambassador

[@stefanharris659]

He should've came back for the finale at least if it was really about the audience.

[@nolanarmstrong2458]

I know wtf

[@Jmoth792]

Narratively, he did. They didn’t write him off as if he didn’t exist. The finale mentioned him several times. But they fired him so they weren’t going to pay him to appear on screen.

[@slipperyjim1497]

Some people are so toxic it just isn't worth the grief when you work 12 hour days on a set.

[@divefraggle]

Erlich Bachman was my favorite character on the show.

[@Juan_deep]

Idc what those geeks and squares say. Erlich Bachman was clearly the star of the show and the show was not the same without him. Point blank period

[@Liquidmetal702]

Its a character. On a show

[@oofdah6738]

TJ couldn't have dropped the bag harder. It sucks because he is so talented.

[@Liquidmetal702]

Hes the definition of what not to do in life

[@biomadnesstrip]

We as fans deserve a final duel Elrich vs Jian-Yang!

[@ManOnHorizon]

I was dying for his cameo in the finale. Too bad he never did it.

[@robertpayne613]

Haven't multiple people including judge say that he would show up late if at all and usually either wasted or hung over then usually proceed to be belligerent and nearly violent? I was really hoping that he would admit to fault instead of pretending things happened for another reason.

[@diegogonzales9789]

Saw him do stand up once in San Jose and I went in going man this is going to blow and he, straight, KILLED. He made me cry he was so funny. He may be full of himself but that night he was great.

[@mall7202]

he's definitely got some loose screws. no hate, it's just really apparent...hearts out to him, actually.

[@joeygarcia4277]

most comedians do bro. all of em have deep trauma

[@alainportant6412]

he's a rapist apparently so hearts out to not him

[@woweezowee334]

While I do think TJ did get fired and perhaps deservedly so.... The show suffered immensely without Erlich, he was the most hilarious character on the show.

[@cactaceous]

The show did suffer without him but the series ending was golden.

[@g2timmywonka]

He sucked

[@blackbox1024]

@@cactaceous The ending was great because it was so dramatic, what we're talking about really is the comedy aspect of it and he may be unprofessional or anything else but his comedy talent is world class and the line delivery he did was unmatched by others on the show. Personal opinion here: the ending was interesting but it was so abruptly done, i feel like they didn't develop beyond 20% of the show's potential. There was so much stuff to write about after PP becomes a larger company and tried to grow even more into a corporation, also all the Hooli related stuff was hyper unrealistic, it was pictured as a Google-size corporation in season 1-2 then Pied Piper suddenly was able to buy it without even having a revenue stream itself, and then Gavin Belson tracking and being so afraid of Richard Hendricks when he (GB) in fact was among the titans of SV and RH being just a kid who had no idea of what he's doing.

[@cactaceous]

@@blackbox1024 You are correct about certain aspects of character development and authenticity but I mostly referred to the story coming to a close with them not succeeding and it not being a happy Hollywood cliche ending. The characters were so flawed it would seem unrealistic if they somehow succeeded completely. It felt like a great satirical almost British dry comedy ending.

[@JoeJoe-lq6bd]

@@cactaceous Maybe if they hadn't had such an obviously important and valuable piece of code. Literally every tech company would license their technology in perpetuity instantly. Instead, they went for the dumbest and least practical application that really couldn't work.

[@alextorres7655]

"I have no ego about this stuff" all he is is ego

[@jammin2575]

Bingo dude was a diva on set, what has he done since then? He got blacklisted for the accusations and his attitude.

[@paulmayerpiano]

Even so, still a key part of the show's dynamic. It didn't survive long without him, if that's anything to consider, so maybe a bit of that is justified.

[@alextorres7655]

@@paulmayerpiano there is no justification for being a prick, doesnt matter how talented you are.

[@anthonynunyabizness9989]

I met TJ in Portalnd before watching his standup set. He was behind me in line at a food truck and and I casually said, "Hey man, I'm about to watch your set, good luck, I've like your worked for years". That was it. Dude was a total dick and blew me off. On top of that, I paid for an hour set and he ran out of material 3/4 way through and proceeded to advertise his line of hot sauces, on stage! And then juggled for 10 minutes. I paid for comedy and I what little I got was weak.

[@Augrills]

@@paulmayerpiano He was good and important to the show. I mean the whole concept of the show depends on his character and the incubator. I think there really are two types of guys and they either relate to Erlich or Richard, and they were both main characters. TJ was off the rails, though. He doesn’t want to talk about that part of it because he’s not really better.

[@richboyprado]

Yeah I think we can all recognize a diva, when we see one

[@DutchShocker]

Uh. He was fired from the show.

[@umer.on.youtube]

Really?

[@josephhuether1184]

Right out of the chute SV had great character dynamic balance. More people were added and with the excellent writing it just snowballed. The problem was that within society at large, “tech” itself went from quirky, novel, eccentric…with enormous wealth…all great sources of comedy….to downright sinister and threatening. SV had a hard time threading that needle towards the end.

[@stephaniecollins6052]

Whatever the reason, I would have loved for him to return in the final season. Big letdown to never see him again.

[@thomasbennett9155]

I will forgive TJ Miller, everything for his performance in the courtroom scene, which I think was absolutely brilliant. His other stuff was good in a schtick kind of way.

[@JoelSamJohnson]

😂😂

[@eduardogomez756]

It’s like hearing his character stepping in Gavin’s interview with Kara in the last episode of the first season.

[@nicks6813]

There is no way the show would have written off one of the most popular characters unless there was just cause. Pretty simple, honestly.

[@-NoneOfYourBusiness]

"Amanda Crew was hysterically funny" Monica basically was the "straight man routine" of that comedy. She was written as the most normal, sane character on the show. Amanda Crew was anything but hysterical. That said, I will forever be thankful to TJ Miller for Ulrich Bachmann. I doubt I will ever laugh that hard again.

[@Augrills]

I loved TJ’s character, but the show was still good after he left imo. I think dude is unhinged. “I don’t have an ego…” proceeds to go on about all the big movies he was getting and calls out others for getting weird about it. Okay

[@reputablehype]

I think we love those characters in a fictional world, enjoyed at a distance. Unfortunately the actors who usually play them best is because it's close to their real life counterpart. Michael Richards comes to mind.

[@user-cr1iz8fw6h]

Season 6 was terrible.. season 5 was alright.

[@bbllaakkee]

why is this video in 480p? it's 2022

[@Testsubjex]

Once he left there was just a balance in the group that couldn’t work without Erlich , he was the character with absurd wisdom who would look dumb sometimes only to find out he was right was some Of the funniest shit characters bounce off each other perfectly so when he left they were missing a piece of what made them so good

[@somefreshbread]

Yeah, it'd have been great if TJ wasn't an abusive POS, but c'est la vie.

[@Testsubjex]

@@somefreshbread yeah bro chemistry is everything it sucks there’s probably an alternative universe where they were all friends and did the show all the way through

[@huntercoxpersonal]

Right away, he’s contradicting himself and going on an ego-fueled tangent… you can tell by body language of the other guy in frame with him, he’s totally aware too 😅 No wonder he played Erlich Bachman so effortlessly

[@marcen12]

I like how everyone who is asking for him to come back for the finale are the same people who ignore that he was let go. I like how he says that he says Judge wants to do something else, when he had two animated shows that lasted for several years without that distraction

[@MichaelHplus]

The lack of self awareness reminds me of Michael Scott or David Brent. Especially at the end when he talks about the hypothetical depressed person who is saved by TJ’s comedy 😂

[@user-cr1iz8fw6h]

It’s very typical with comedians these days. They have some weird God complex and think they’re better than everyone.

[@leecameron9226]

You two guys are really pieces of shit what tj miller said I genuine comedy does help people with depression it always has been a great distraction And im glad he was honest instead of pretending his character was deep or anything like that

[@DudeDudeDudeDudeDudeDude]

Isn't this the dude that was arrested in NYC after yelling to the world he had a thing that goes boom

[@simonfarre4907]

Yes. He called in a bomb threat

[@navrotron22]

im like 90% he had a brain injury when he did that and thats why he didnt get in trouble

[@labrxx]

@@navrotron22 classic mom excuse.

[@Kaboomboo]

Didn't he also beat up an Uber driver because he was a Trump supporter?

[@kmolnardaniel]

He had actually a brain tumor, and part of his brain removed. Honestly. Since then, he has many mental health problems.

[@julianspencerr9832]

I loved Erlich Bachman wish he was in every season

[@raresaturn]

The George Lazenby of tv sitcoms

[@dahlberry]

Epic reference

[@badeugenecops4741]

@@dahlberry Your ages are showing :)

[@jimmy_x557]

He was the best character

[@---bs8dp]

I would be so flattered if I woke up and saw TJ in the corner of my room kinda naked sort of dancing

[@WhoDeyThink]

Thank you! My goodness. Well, naked. This comment just made my month. Thank you!!!!

[@loganw9019]

@@WhoDeyThink watch tj millers stand up about dancing naked

[@One21Jiggawatts]

He’d be in a kimono eating microwave noodles thinking he’s sexy.

[@TheShaund]

He's like a rumor he didn't read the script....dosnt remember the name of one of the main characters

[@victorespino5650]

I know wtf lol

[@Daniel145D]

He was definitely fired

[@harryfbrice]

TJ "Mike Judge and I are friends..." Mike Judge like "we ain't friends"

[@osuman11]

He’s easily the funniest person on the show!

[@ThePrimeMinisterOfTheBlock]

It's great to see Erlich come home and found a new line of work in comedy

[@IamNoTaBotBruh]

Anyone think that he's full of it

[@thor.halsli]

How can he leave something he was fired from?

[@paprika8795]

i like TJ, he just worked on so much different stuff and got tired. he was awesome on show.

[@madminer8041]

There is no such thing as a TJ Miller fan

[@gripp9k]

@@madminer8041 incorrect

[@chrissanchez6675]

He really needs to do his own TJ Miller cuts 🤣 where he just adds himself back into his old roles. I thought he was the funniest character in the series, but I do get the vibe that he's hard to work with which is a shame, but it's never too late to change!! That guy would be such an awesome human being if he changed (for the better lol) and took the leap to make peace with the bridges he's burned!

[@nickhendrik2878]

No he was fired for being shitty on the show. He’s literally trying to gaslight people.

[@tw364]

@@madminer8041 clever asshat

[@solidkratos963]

Miller Messed up His Career and he knows it which is why he isn't in anymore films or shows. It's hard for people to separate the art from the artist. I wish him the best but he did put himself in this place in Hollywood.

[@jazzymichael]

It's funny how he says people tend to go on auto-pilot after 4 years on the same show - thats why big tech employment contracts and vesting schedules are 4 years long lol

[@Liquidmetal702]

I’m the best at being humble…

[@JoeJoe-lq6bd]

Ignoring the background and why he did or didn't leave, the show really got worse after he left. Jian Yang only worked with Bachman there. Without Bachman, Jian Yang wasn't even a little funny.

[@PAPPADASH]

I wonder if he's talking about Gwart who wanted more lines

[@loosenukes8153]

He was fired for his inappropriate behavior. It's the same reason he wasn't invited back to Deadpool. Dude suffers from verbal diarrhea.

[@scottroffman2325]

Thanks for that bizarre explanation, TJ! Now I have even MORE questions........

[@shawnsteinman2001]

It would have been great for him to show up just at the ending for a little while. I think everyone can agree that would have been really great.

[@Treevors30]

2:48 yo bro was fired from Silicon Valley. You don't go on a bus or Subway wherever the hell he was drunk yell at a girl because she doesn't know who you are and you're hitting on her and she doesn't want anything to do with you. I feel like this dude has a problem with substance abuse. If he could take control of his substance abuse and actually look in the mirror and fix the problems that he has I think the dude would probably be an amazing human being I think everyone can be an amazing human being. If they can fix their inner demons and it's not an easy thing to do but it is doable

[@Treevors30]

7:49 is he trying to make himself a martyr

[@vallangaard]

5:31 ....oh it was a rumor! 5:39 ...soooo it WASNT a rumor. You didnt read the lines.

[@newred8924]

I missed him so much damnit

[@umer.on.youtube]

Same! Nothing was the same after him. That stupid Jian Yang character only had importance because of his character, too bad Jian Yang was given preposterously more importance in the final 2 seasons.

[@TheBakedPug2]

He is right insofar that the character had really run its course, I just wish he had a better ending for his character or showed up for the finale or something. I'm dying to know, did he od on opium and die? Did he go back to the monestary to be a monk? Did he return to the valley with something even better than Aviato? Could have made it funny that's all I'm sayin.

[@umer.on.youtube]

@@TheBakedPug2 No he is wrong. The character was very much alive. In fact, there was no point of any other characters without Erlich Bachman. He was the face of the company.

[@treblecharged]

TJs ego became bigger than the show. It's too bad because his character was hilarious

[@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle]

Short answer. He didn’t. He was fired. This is nonsense

[@vallangaard]

"It just got weird" = It was really you, dude. You got weird.

[@pjmmaloney4458]

Talented guy who threw away his career. Unprecedented?

[@FoamandStuff]

They should have played the clip of Mike Judge explaining why he was fired from the show.

[@mrmagoo8956]

Excellent on the show, terrible behind the camera

[@MortalShores]

why is this in 480p

[@DrinkinBrosPodcast]

Change the setting at lower right portion of KZbin picture. You’re set on auto 480p

[@spbynum]

Just go with honesty, man. It’s not only a good, moral practice, it’s also very pragmatic if everyone that was there will contradict you. Show a little humility and growth so people want to work with you again.

[@claykeough7898]

It definitely could have gotten much better as the show went on. Instead it played out the same theme to nausea. I think it needed what miller is talking about

[@J.B24]

They kicked him off because of the sexual harassment allegations.

[@forgettablelisa]

I think this guy is hilarious in almost everything he shows up in, but the real answer would be that after playing a part for a couple of years he can’t seem to keep his personality in check and ends up rubbing most people the wrong way.

[@user-nj1zu2nf1x]

He was hilarious on the show but his stand-up was hot garbage. Like Gallagher level dumb prop humor

[@Mclovinit8171]

He is great on the show Crashing, I think it was the project he did after silicon valley. The character he plays in that show is great too its like erlich turned up to 11

[@txtacos817-3]

shits on every job he’s done and it’s never his fault yes TJ we know…

[@mangakid4762]

He might have been a horrible employee and a bad cast mate but as an actor on camera his character was one of the best (I mean the whole cast and writing in general was great).

[@tlasjc]

I love TJ, but it’s pretty obvious that he’s full of it. In hindsight, I don’t think he was acting as Bachman at all. That was the real TJ.

[@vk99x]

I heard he was a total unprofessional on the series. Showed up late, drunk/high etc. It would upset the other actors, Mike Judge etc. So they brought in the Bobs and let him go

[@Saudade_Ana]

Erlich is my favorite character on the show

[@alexw.8999]

Guy took his good fortune for granted and learned nothing from the experience.

[@claudiafotiou7546]

I don’t know much of the background on what happened, but after his character disappeared from the show, the quality of the series took a nosedive. Poor Jared’s back must be hurting form carrying all the comedic weight after Bachman left.

[@DaveThomson]

Thought he was fired for not wanting to express himself by not wanting to wear his flare.

[@IMightGuy]

dude didn't leave. he got fired.

[@americanbritton9827]

Yes!!!! The Drinkin Bros short clips are here!

[@guitar60253]

Isn’t it amazing how many things he’s not brought back for and it’s always everyone else’s fault.

[@marknissen1807]

takes courage to say no to the easy road.

[@vallangaard]

7:51 Just promise... 7:54 Yes (I promise) Im open to it 7:56 Admits he lied. I heard that he was just a piece of trash... but damn! He just proves everything I ever heard in 10 mins lol

[@connorblake7487]

"Left"? Yeah, okay. Is that what we're calling it now?

[@ColdStuff-cf7jv]

T.J. Miller reminds me of those crooks that get caught by the police red-handed and create a convuluted lie to where they forget why they are lying to begin with. T.J. Miller should just come out and admit he fucked by being an ass on the set, and the fake bomb threat on the train was another fucked up thing he did as to why he was FIRED and not asked to make a cameo on the last episode.

[@recyclebininfinity4983]

saying he read the script but not remembering gavin belson name lmfao 🤣

[@Mclovinit8171]

I really enjoyed Erlich In the show, I thought he was the one missing piece of the group to make them hilarious. The way they wrote him off was very weird too, It would make more sense if Russ was in tibet and Erlich wanted to go then Gavin. Erlich and Gavin never even liked eachother at all

[@nolanarmstrong2458]

Russ hated erlich

[@Jb-mi2rm]

Do an nyc traders gig ….series .

[@Lephty17]

Whyd he change his voice to be Erlich? The character is literally HIM. its his voics. That impression was weird.

[@cicolasnage5684]

Silicone valley was fun for 2 seasons but it just became so formulaic after that- some good shit happens, they almost make it and then last episode… boom it all falls apart. Same shit every season, that one quirky actor died and then they bought in an equally weird lady. I gave up on it after that.

[@yeskaitlyn8029]

i agree. got too predictable

[@marcen12]

​@@yeskaitlyn8029As much as TJ is an egomaniac, hes not wrong when he says the show became extremely cyclical.

[@Paumanokcom]

True events in high-tech. Tell us about your VR play "Oculus." You mean "Octopus?"

[@stephenfrank2397]

Same way he left deadpool, dude gets 2 opportunities no one ever gets then blames it on others. Tjs fucked. Ryan wanted more, kumail, Ryan reynolds, blah blah blah it's all their fault. He left deadpool because he hates people but thinks he's the king. He is Ehrlich in real life. Self obsessed did 1 good thing once. That's T.J

[@markbauermeister5449]

Wasn't he accused of sexual misconduct at the time?

[@user-cr1iz8fw6h]

The show kinda dropped massively in season 6 especially without him. Season 5 was fine.

[@oakleyorbit]

I heard TJ was treating Richards character like shit! TJ got a bit to much EGO! Having said that loved the show and I miss it so much!

[@chetmanley5031]

TJ is hilarious and made the show. Probably a D Bad but he’s fantastic

[@youwebz]

“D Bad” ummmmm

[@oliverchamberlain9905]

He ls dodging the questions.

[@jh9992]

There was no rumor. He was a douche and he was fired. He was an asset to the show but his time was up.

[@sean78745]

Not gonna lie he was the best part of the show but im also not gonna lie hes been phoning his podcast in with cash levy for about 4 years now

[@BiLLz66614]

It really sucks to see a dude like this be a premadonna. He seemed like such a cool dude. But the way he is making stuff up here and seems to be ... definitely feels like a shady cat. That's sad.

[@BiLLz66614]

With that being said... I'm just watching the show... season five has felt weird without him. Just was curious what happened so started looking into it.

[@culttelevision]

Wow , isn't that the founder of Aviato?