Scandal Season 4 Spoilers: Columbus Short's Harrison Gone in Dramatic Exit

As most Scandal fans know by now, Columbus Short will not return as Harrison Wright in Season 4 after the actor's troubling off-screen issues. The character ended Season 3 on the wrong end of a gun, but does the show plan on actually writing him off on screen?

Betsy Beers provides part of the answer to the "Spoiler Chat" column at E! Online:

"Wear black when you tune in for the premiere because Harrison will be long gone. 'I think the key with every character's exit on all of our shows is the writers try to find the most appropriate and interesting and phenomenal way of exiting the character,' Betsy Beers said. 'I think, as a fan, they found an amazing explosive and dramatic way for him to exit.'"

Short made his first public comments several weeks ago about his departure from the show back in April. And based on his words, it seems the network was the driving force behind his exit rather than Shonda Rhimes, the series creator.

"They did not throw me to the curb like trash. That's my family," the man who played Harrison Wright told Access Hollywood. "They knew that I was going through a tough season and they rallied around me and wrapped their arms around me, from Shonda to the craft service man. We're a family.

"I think, at a certain point, when you're [hearing] a barrage of stories after stories, ABC justifiably would want to distance themselves. They did the right thing."

The news came after a troubling few weeks for Short, who was accused of threatening his wife, Tanee Short. The actor was also arrested recently for public intoxication in Dallas.

How do you think the show will write off Harrison? Let us know in the comments below.