Alyssa Milano fired Shannen Doherty, claims ‘Charmed’ alumni
Holly Marie Combs claims Alyssa Milano threatened to sue the higher-ups Charmed as Shannen Doherty was not fired from the WB series.
“[Producer Jonathan Levin] said, ‘That was not our intention [fire Shannen], but we have been driven into this corner. We’re basically in this position where it’s one or the other,'” Combs, 50, recalled during the Monday, December 18, episode of Doherty’s.Let’s be clear“podcast.”’We were told [by Alyssa] it’s her or [Shannen] and Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile work environment. ”
Combs explained that she and Levin had the conversation during a meeting where Combs requested to leave the show following Doherty’s departure. Combs said she told the producer she never “wanted to do it” Charmed without Doherty, leaving Levin emotional and revealing details of why Doherty, 52, was actually let go.
Combs also claimed that Milano, 51, built a case against her and Doherty and allegedly “documented every time she felt uncomfortable on set.” Combs admitted that she was surprised by Milano’s accusations, as she could not recall any “brawl” or even “harsh words” exchanged between the trio in public.
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The power of three will free us… from everything but drama. Premiering on The WB in 1998, Charmed made headlines from the start when Aaron Spelling hired Shannen Doherty to play one of the three Halliwell sisters, four years after she was infamously let go from Spelling Television’s Beverly Hills , 90210.[Aaron] […]
“It all happened behind the scenes, it was all in a trailer. It was nothing that any of our crew members noticed, that any of our guest stars ever noticed or noted,” she said before praising how well-liked Doherty was on set. ‘There isn’t a director who wouldn’t want to work with you again. There isn’t a crew member who didn’t have a great time with you. So by today’s standards it wouldn’t be a king fly.
Combs noted that there are people in the entertainment industry who behave badly and “get away with it,” adding, “I don’t think people understand that that never happened here.”
Combs starred in all eight seasons of Charmed, which aired from 1998 to 2006, as middle sister Piper Halliwell. Milano played the youngest sibling Phoebe, while Doherty played Prue, the eldest of the three. Doherty’s character was abruptly killed off the show at the end of season 3 and replaced by Rose McGowanwho joined the cast as long-lost half-sister Paige Matthews.
“We have had a long and prosperous relationship with Shannen and we did not want to hold her back from what she wanted to do,” Spelling Television said in a 2001 statement about Doherty’s departure. “We wish her all the best and continued success.”
Although Doherty’s reasons for leaving the show were unclear at the time, she opened up about her exit months later, amid reports that she and Milano were not getting along.
“There was too much drama on set and not enough passion for the work,” Doherty said Entertainment tonight at the time. “You know, I’m 30 years old and I don’t have time for drama in my life anymore. For me, it’s kind of whatever. I will miss Holly very much and that is really the only thing I want to clarify.”
While discussing the topic with Combs on her podcast Monday, Doherty, who clarified that there was no “hatred” toward anyone, explained that no one “in their right mind would quit a hit show that makes them a lot of money.” [and] that they enjoyed doing it.”
“I lived a year later [leaving the show] kind of replaying everything in my head and really trying to find those moments, but I couldn’t find them,” Doherty said. She claimed that she and Milano had “never gotten along,” and said she couldn’t “remember being mean to each other.” [Alyssa] beginning.” She hypothesized that disagreements over her personal website or pay disparities could have contributed to the tension.
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Shannen Doherty made a name for herself in film and television and became a household name in the ’90s. Her career has taken her from navigating one of TV’s most memorable love triangles, to casting spells and reviving some of her beloved roles decades later. The actress was born in Memphis, Tennessee in April 1971 […]
Combs, meanwhile, defended Doherty for doing all she could to keep things positive between the three on-screen sisters, and questioned whether Doherty’s earlier dismissal of Beverly Hills, 90210 – also aided by Spelling Television – helped get her fired Charmed. (Doherty played Brenda Walsh for four seasons 90210 before she was let go amid alleged tensions between her and other cast members.)
“You had previously consulted with [producers] that tensions were running high and you didn’t want answers to what had happened before,” Combs recalled. ‘So you tried to solve it preemptively. And I wonder… because they knew that they knew [fired you] before, and 90210 continued… I almost wonder if they liked the publicity.’
While Combs and Doherty claimed that Milano’s allegations were the reason for the BH90210 Following the actress’ departure, Milano previously denied knowing why Doherty left the show.
“I don’t know if she got fired, we never really found out what happened,” she said during a 2013 episode Watch what happens live with Andy Cohenand admitted there were “definitely some tough days” between the three women.
Milano claimed that Combs and Doherty’s friendship contributed to the problem, saying, “Holly and Shannen were best friends for about ten years before the show started, so it was kind of like high school. I hope that in my thirties it will no longer feel that way.”
In 2021 Milano told AND that she and Doherty were “cordial” and that she “takes responsibility for a lot” of the problems between them. “I think a lot of our struggle came from feeling like I was in competition, rather than it being about that sisterhood that the show was so much about. And I feel guilty about my part in it,” she said.
We weekly has approached Milano for comment.