In light of ex-showrunner Glen Mazzara's departure from The Walking Dead , it's no wonder there's been speculation as to what exactly went down, especially considering this isn't the first time it's happened on the hit series

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Although Mazzara's leave was described as amicable, insiders close to the situation tell a different story. According to The Hollywood Reporter , it was AMC/Walking Dead comic book writer-producer Robert Kirkman who didn't see eye to eye with Mazzara -- and showrunners Shawn Ryan (Last Resort) and Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy) seem to agree.While neither Ryan nor Sutter are involved with The Walking Dead, both men worked with Mazzara on Ryan's FX series The Shield. In response to the controversy, Ryan tweeted, "It's a real question now why good showrunners should sell to AMC," and Suttered followed with a tweet saying that AMC had sent him "a gift basket filled with... broken promises and the marinated tongue used to lick Kirkman's ass."Sutter later posted a followup video on his website, adding that Robert Kirkman "is an amazing visual artist and a graphic artist [but] knows very little about TV, and the reins keep going back to him in this process, and he doesn't know how to run a show."Serveral insiders confirmed this notion, with one stating, "I believe Robert wants to maintain a certain amount of his control, and AMC needs Robert for the fanbase." However, other sources say Kirkman was only one of several producers on the show that had a problem with Mazzara's vision. In fact, one insider said that production was shut down "several times" due to lack of material.Mazzara has yet to respond to any of these claims, although Kirkman did reply to Sutter via Twitter with a single restrained tweet: "@sutterink is brilliant and Sons is my favorite show on TV. Still, it's upsetting to see him ranting about things he knows nothing about."AMC declined to comment.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love by following @Max_Nicholson on Twitter, or MaxNicholson on IGN.