'Traitors' Cast Hated 'Toxic' Michael Rapaport, Relieved He Was Booted

Michael Rapaport's explosive comments before his banishment pissed off "Traitors" cast members ... which was par for the course while shooting -- because we've learned they couldn't stand the guy the entire time.

A source close to the production of Season 4 tells TMZ ... the cast thought Michael was "toxic" on set -- and they were all very happy when his time on the show came to an end this week on the fifth episode.

We're also told a rumor circulated on set that the network thought viewers would be so put off by his behavior ... Peacock pushed out his final episode early to get him off fans' TVs.

However, a network source denies the rumor ... telling us the rollout and his banishment are a total coincidence -- the show didn't betray him.

As you know ... the "Traitors" cast voted to banish Rapaport from the show -- which was spurred on by the explosive roundtable discussion before the vote, during which MR seemed to imply Colton Underwood -- a gay man who was closeted for years -- was "better at holding a secret" than anyone else in the room.

Rapaport apologized to Underwood on-air ... and also told us he and the former "Bachelor" star had a man-to-man convo after cameras stopped rolling and there's a lot of mutual respect between them.

Anyhoo ... the cast can breathe a sigh of relief now that Michael's gone -- even with three killers on the loose!