Sometimes an actor really just needs a break.

On Monday night, “The Walking Dead” star Norman Reedus appeared on “The Tonight Show” and defended his co-star Melissa McBride.

READ MORE: Norman Reedus Marks Final Day Of Filming ‘The Walking Dead’

News broke last week that McBride had departed an upcoming spinoff series centred on her character Carol Peletier and Reedus’s character Daryl Dixon.

“Twelve years is a gruelling schedule,” Reedus told Jimmy Fallon. “She wanted to take some time off and she’s doing that. She deserves it.”

In a statement announcing McBride’s exit, AMC explained that the spinoff’s production in Europe “became logistically untenable for Melissa at this time.” The original series had been filmed mostly in and around Atlanta.

Despite her exit, Reedus told Fallon that he is hopeful of McBride’s eventual return.

“I imagine those characters are going to meet back up at some point, and they might even meet up with some other characters down the road,” he said. “In the meantime, they were like, ‘Hey, you wanna go on a mission?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, let’s go on a mission.'”

READ MORE: Jeffrey Dean Morgan Slams ‘Toxic’ ‘Walking Dead’ Fans For ‘Attacking’ Norman Reedus Over Melissa McBride’s Spin-Off Exit

When the news broke, many fans blamed Reedus, who had both Jeffrey Dean Morgan and AMC come to his defence.