"Cheers," 30 years removed from its series finale, remains one of the most important and beloved shows in the history of television. It made several careers and even spawned the most successful spin-off in history with "Frasier," a show that was revived once again recently. The point is that the legacy of "Cheers" is still very much felt today. While many of the central and supporting cast members still benefit from that legacy, there's one who most certainly doesn't: Jay Thomas. The comedian and disc jokey played Eddie, the husband of Rhea Perlman's Carla on the show.

As fans may well recall, Eddie was killed off during "Cheers" season 8 in the episode "Death Takes a Holiday on Ice." But why did the creators decide to kill off Thomas' character? It had to do with public comments he made about Perlman. Thomas himself was responsible for sealing Eddie's fate.

The actor,...