Well, there it is. So much for the Power of Three.
The feuding behind the scenes of Charmed is the stuff of TV legend, but it’s quickly becoming a matter of record, thanks to Shannen Doherty‘s new podcast.
For those who haven’t heard, Let’s Be Clear is not only a podcast, it’s serving as Shannen’s oral memoirs, and she’s chosen to get some of the dirtiest laundry out of the way early. She brought on co-star Holly Marie Combs, and the two have been dishing all the dirt on what went on when the cameras weren’t rolling. And on Monday’s episode, Holly finally let the biggest familiar out of the bag. The rumors were true: Alyssa Milano got Shannen fired!!!
From the moment Shannen’s character Prue Halliwell was killed off at the end of Season 3 (well, really in between seasons), the rumors started to swirl it was because of the whispered feud with her TV sister.
Related: Britney Spears Threw Some Elbows With This Justin Timberlake Diss!
Now, over two decades later, Holly has confirmed it! Moreover, she says it wasn’t that Shannen quit, she got pushed out by Alyssa! She recalled how show producer Jonathan Levin explained it to her:
“‘We didn’t mean to — but we’ve been backed into this corner — we’re basically in this position where it’s one or the other. We were told it’s her or [Shannen] and Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment.’”
Wha??
Yes, per Holly, their co-star had “documented every time she felt uncomfortable on set” in an effort to build a case and force producers’ hands. But Holly says it was all BS as, feud or no, Shannen didn’t do anything wrong. She said, obviously still upset:
“There are actually people who behave badly and get away with it. I don’t think people understand that never happened here.”
Holly was so upset, she said she’d leave the show, too — but claims Levin told her she’d get sued if she tried to walk! Damn!
This is a huge accusation against Alyssa, who has managed to seem like she was taking the high ground all these years. In 2013, she was asked on Watch What Happens Live whether Shannen got fired, and she demurred:
“I don’t know if she got fired, we never really found out what happened. I can tell you that we were on the air with her for three years and there were definitely some rough days. Holly and Shannen were best friends for like 10 years before the show started so it was very much sort of like high school. I would hope that in our thirties it wouldn’t feel like that anymore.”
Notice no mention of it being such a “hostile workplace” that she needed to document a whole list — or that she knew very well Shannen was fired because she’s the one who made it happen. So, we can’t know for sure if this is true, as it is their word against hers at this point. Oof.
[Image via Spelling Television/Peacock/YouTube.]
