Shannen Doherty says ‘Charmed’ co-star got her fired from series
Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on December 20, 2023
On the latest episode of her Let’s Be Clear podcast, Shannen Doherty let something off her chest: She never quit the series Charmed.
Doherty recounted with her guest, former Charmed co-star Holly Marie Combs, that she was all but fired by their co-star Alyssa Milano.
“The narrative that I ‘quit’ was assigned to me by other people,” Doherty declared.
The actress added, “I don’t want to keep lying about something that meant the absolute world to me, something that I loved doing. I loved going to that job. I loved the people that I worked with.”
She continued, “Now, at my age, and dealing with Stage 4 cancer, I just don’t feel like I have to keep telling a lie.”
Combs agreed with Doherty’s revelation, explaining Milano had reportedly threatened legal action against the former Beverly Hills, 90210 star.
Recalling a conversation with Charmed producer Jonathan Levin, Combs quoted him as saying, “‘We were told that it’s her [Doherty] or me. Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment.'”
Combs continued, “Because [Milano] went to … the corporate mediator … she built a case for herself where she was documenting every time she felt uncomfortable on set and for whatever reason, whereas you and I refused to speak to him. So that’s where the deck was stacked.”
For her part, Shannen says, “I don’t ever remember being mean to [Milano] on set. I remember an episode that I directed where … they asked me to work around some things with her and I couldn’t have been more kind and understanding.”
Doherty asserted the network built the show around her, but the “competitiveness” soon kicked in between her and Milano.
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