Why did Grant Wilson leave Ghost Hunters?

Late in June 2019, I received news that Grant will be back with a new Ghost Hunters series on A&E Channel. Here’s the link to the show announcement: Ghost Hunters on A&E – Cast members

Here’s what I said in 2016:

At almost every ghost hunting event I attend, long-time fans of Ghost Hunters always ask me why Grant Wilson left the Ghost Hunters TV show.

This question just won’t go away. (As of mid-2019 – three years after I wrote this article – it remains among the top five questions people ask at this website.)

On the show and at the TAPS website, Grant gave a brief explanation of why he left the Ghost Hunters show.

It wasn’t a sudden decision. It wasn’t related to interpersonal relations with fellow cast members.

Here’s my opinion, as someone who’s known Grant – in real life – for about 10 years.

From what I saw, Grant got along fine with everyone on the investigation team.

Nothing was inappropriate or hostile, on either side.

As Grant has explained, he simply wanted more time for “other aspects of [his] personal life.”

Not a surprise

His decision did not surprise me. Grant has always been an excellent paranormal investigator. However, I believe his talents are greater in creative fields, including music and the visual arts.

I also feel as if SyFy’s schedule was more demanding than the Ghost Hunters cast – including Grant – had anticipated.

Several years ago at New Hampshire’s Spalding Inn (which Grant and Jason and their families owned), a few of us were relaxing on the hotel’s porch.

I had set up my easel, and I was finishing a small landscape painting. (In my spare time, I’m an artist, and the views from the Spalding’s porch are gorgeous.)

At one point, I said, “When I get to the end of the road, I won’t say, ‘Gosh, I wish I’d investigated one more haunted location’. I’m more likely to say, ‘I wish I’d painted one more painting’.”

Grant replied quietly, “So true.”

I wasn’t sure if he was simply agreeing with me, or if what I said resonated with him. For many of us involved in paranormal research and the arts, it’s difficult to balance research and our creative interests.

UPDATE: Here’s what Grant said later in 2019, and it confirms what I’d suspected…

Ghost Hunters: Paranormal Expert Grant Wilson is Back (Season 1) | A&E

Tune in to Ghost Hunters, Wednesdays at 9pm EST on A&E, and stay up to date on all of A&E’s premieres at aetv.com/schedule Ghost Hunters is back and so is paranormal expert, Grant Wilson. Grant shares that even when he left the show, he never stopped investigating paranormal activity for people who needed help in this bonus scene from Season 1, Episode 1 of “Ghost Hunters”.

When a hobby becomes a career

Whether you’re a professional ghost hunter or it’s a hobby, your interests may change. Many – perhaps most – ghost hunters started investigating because they had questions. Often, it’s one particular question.

Some ghost hunters find the answers they seek.

Others conclude that there are no real answers.

At that point, they might quit ghost hunting.

Others continue with renewed interest.

I’m pretty sure that Grant was looking for an answer to a paranormal encounter from his childhood.

Did he find it? I haven’t a clue, and don’t know if that was a factor in Grant’s departure from Ghost Hunters.

Nevertheless, I applaud Grant’s decision. He was ready to re-prioritize. Many people – in any field, not just TV – reach a point when their careers become too demanding.

Also, life in “the industry” can skew anyone’s perspective on life and what’s truly important.

So, when Grant Wilson left Ghost Hunters, I wasn’t surprised. The show required a lot of his time, and took him away from his wife and children. I can’t imagine how difficult that was for him, missing memory-making moments as his kids were growing up.

Grant is still ghost hunting

Grant hasn’t vanished from ghost hunting. He still appears at some ghost-related events and conferences. He’s just reorganized his schedule to have more time for what he loves most.

I think that was a smart decision. Having known Grant for many years, I was uneasy about how unhappy he seemed, the longer he was on the show.

Even away from the camera, he started to say and do things that didn’t seem like the Grant I knew & liked.

Oh, I know how much he loved being on the show.

I also saw what it was doing to his personal life.

So, I’m relieved that Grant is able to be Grant again. What I see in his YouTube videos, etc… that’s the Grant I liked being around.

Even better, now he gets to meet fans, continue his research, work on creative projects, and enjoy time with his family.

It’s wonderful that Grant’s fans remain so enthusiastic about his work on the show and his personal well-being.

JUNE 2019 UPDATE: Ghost Hunters is back, and it’s part of the A&E Channel. I’m wishing Grant and cast great success with this show, and trust that the new show gives Grant more autonomy, and more free time for his family and his creative pursuits.

Grant & Reanna at YouTube

Here are some of Grant’s projects:

Ghost Hunter or Paranormal Investigator

Are you a Ghost Hunter or a Paranormal Investigator?

(He and his wife, Reanna Wilson, have many videos at YouTube. Some are about paranormal topics. Others include other interests & hobbies.)

To find out where you can meet Grant, here’s his events website: Senterstage.com.

If you’d like to follow his career – as a ghost hunter, author, artist, musician, or game designer – see his website, GrantSWilson.com.

Some of Grant’s books

Ghost Files combines all the creepy stories – and things you didn’t see on TV – from Grant & Jason’s earlier books, Ghost Hunting and Seeking Spirits.

Read it as a printed book, because it’s 560 pages long. That would be a lot to scroll through on a Kindle reader.

This book is a must-read if you’re a fan of the Ghost Hunters TV series. Available at Amazon.com.

Brotherhood of the Strange is not about ghost hunting. It’s Grant’s first book in his steampunk series, Kingship.

Can Captain Vance Williams and engineer Molly Clocker – along with their team – expose the nefarious plot of the Hand of Paris and save the Brotherhood of the Strange?

This exciting tale is a page turner, and showcases Grant’s creative talents.  Available at Amazon.com.

Photo credits:
Hand in mist: GraphicStock.com
Spalding Inn photo: Fiona Broome