Kate McCoy left the show because the actress who played her, Kathleen Nolan, decided to pursue other opportunities.
Kathleen Nolan played Kate McCoy during the first few seasons of “The Real McCoys,” a popular television series that aired from 1957 to 1963. She was the wife of Luke McCoy, portrayed by Richard Crenna, and served as a central character in the family sitcom. However, Nolan chose to leave the series after the end of the 1962 season to focus on her career and her role as the first female president of the Screen Actors Guild, a position she held from 1963 to 1965.
Her departure from the show was a significant change, as her character was written out, leaving a gap in the family dynamic that the show had to address. The series continued without her for its final season, adjusting storylines to account for her absence. The reasons behind Kathleen Nolan’s decision to leave “The Real McCoys” included a desire for more challenging roles and to expand her acting career beyond the confines of the television series. Her departure marked a turning point in her career, as she went on to appear in other television shows, films, and stage productions.