In post SDCC 2019 lulz:
During the SDCC Supernatural panel, Misha confirmed that he is a regular and not a lead as the minions have been screeching at everybody for years. He also confirmed that he has not been told the ending of the show by either the writers or J2, further driving home the fact that he’s not a lead, and he expressed his hope that Castiel will have a heroic ending by sacrificing himself for the Winchesters.
(Em almost caught a clue!)
And Jared confirmed that the power and decision to end the show was entirely his and Jensen’s alone:
Minions are upset at these revelations (to them; let’s be real, the rest of us already knew) and have brewed up a new flavor of Koolaid with extra delusion:
MISHA: I MET ONE OF MY LIFE GOALS, I’M A REGULAR ON A SHOW.
MINIONS: SUPERNATURAL HAS NO LEADS, THEY’RE ALL REGULARS!!1!
You can’t make this shit up. XD There are dozens upon dozens of quotes from the network president to legitimate media sources referring to J2 as the leads/stars of the show but, no, if Misha can’t be a lead, THEN NO ONE CAN.
(Mark Pedowitz for Deadline)
(Mark Pedowitz for TVLine)
(Jeffry Dean Morgan for EW)
(Richard Speight Jr. at JIB10)
(Richard Speight Jr. at SDCC 2019)
(TVGuide)
(Vanity Fair)
And on and on, even J2 confirmed they are the (only) leads on the show:
But wait, linds says Jensen confirmed (three years ago) that Misha is totally just as important to the show as him and Jared, making them all equals & regulars:
Except, no, Jensen was talking about THE FANS and the SPN FAMILY and how he and Jared have kept doing the show and cons in part FOR THE FANS:
“Somebody asked me what keeps you going after twelve years, and it is those stories and getting to engage with fans, it’s hearing what the show brought [to the fans], hearing those stories that make what we do bigger than us. Jared and I have had many discussions about what it is, how long are we going, when do we tap out, and he and I both agree that it’s bigger than us, it’s not just about Sam and Dean, or Jared and Jensen, this is kind of an amazing little world that has been created and we’re very very fortunate and lucky and privileged to be a part of it.” -Jensen Ackles, Access Hollywood on youtube (Jensen Ackles Talks 'Supernatural' Season 12, Reminisces About 'Baby Episode, Saturn Awards, 06-24-16)
(Bolded for linds’ out of context screencap reference and, oh look, Misha isn’t mentioned in his answer at all lol.)
Also, Misha is now just an actor (and a bronly!) and his opinion means nothing:
XD