Alyssa Milano Got Shannen Doherty Fired From 'Charmed,' Holly Marie Combs Claims
Holly Marie Combs seemingly blamed Alyssa Milano for Shannen Doherty's exit from their American fantasy drama TV series "Charmed."
In the recent episode of Doherty's "Let's Be Clear" podcast, Combs shared that she had a meeting with show producer Jonathan Levin in early 2000 to find out why Doherty was fired from the series. She later learned that Milano was allegedly involved.
"He said, '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,'" Combs shared, as quoted by Page Six. "'We were told [by Alyssa] it's her or [Shannen] and Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment.'"
The "Love's Complicated" actress admitted that following Doherty's firing, she was ready to walk away because she didn't want to do the show without the latter. However, Levin also seemingly threatened her.
"This is not a show I wanted to do without Shannen. She didn't want to do it without me. Therefore, I don't want to do it without her and that should be fairly clear," Combs shared before noting that Levin's response "felt like blackmail" since he threatened to sue her if she were to quit.
Combs also hinted that Milano allegedly built a case against her and Doherty. She allegedly "documented every time she felt uncomfortable on set." The "Pretty Little Liars" star admitted she was surprised because she couldn't recall any "harsh words" or public brawls on set. She added that the tension among the three of them happened behind the scenes, and neither the crew nor special guest stars noticed it.
"There are actually people who behave badly and get away with it," Combs added. "I don't think people understand that never happened here."
Doherty's character, Prue Halliwell, was killed off in the Season 3 finale in 2001. Rose McGowan joined the series as Paige following Doherty's departure.
The "Beverly Hills, 90210" alum admitted that her fate on the show left her confused and hurt. She couldn't understand why she was fired.
"I lived a year after that sort of replaying everything in my brain and really trying to find those moments [of alleged bad behavior on set] -- and I couldn't find them," Doherty, 52, said.
"I don't ever remember being mean to her on set. I remember an episode I directed where she did something on the Christmas break, and they asked me to work around some things with her, and I had no problem with it. I couldn't have been more kind and understanding."
Doherty was only 30 when she left the show. She reflected on the incident and said she wished she were "older and wiser" and had handled the situation differently.
"I definitely would've sued, and I would've been honest about the situation because the rumors followed me regardless," Doherty said.
"As you get older, you accept that a situation happened. Acceptance and moving on with your life does not equate to forgiveness," the podcaster continued. "You just learn a lesson and look at somebody differently and move on."
Milano's rep didn't immediately reply to Page Six's request for comment.
