Alyssa Milano maintains that she didn’t have enough power to get anyone fired from Charmed, especially Shannen Doherty.
When Prue Halliwell was killed off in the third season of Charmed, there was only one name to blame as far as fans were concerned. No, it wasn’t Shax but rather Alyssa Milano, whose reported behind-the-scenes feud with Shannon Doherty led to her onscreen sister dying in the season finale, “All Hell Breaks Loose.” Now, Milano is speaking out against the claim, saying she didn’t even have the pull to have someone removed from the show.
In an Instagram post, Alyssa Milano wrote of the allegations against her over the Charmed drama, “This was so long ago that any retelling of these stories from anyone is just revisionist history. I will add, though, with absolute certainty-everything was documented. There was a professional mediator (I was told Holly [Marie Combs] and Shannen would not participate in any mediation) and an on-set producer/babysitter who were both brought in to investigate all claims. It was then recommended by this mediator, after collecting testimony from cast AND crew-what changes should be made if the show was going to continue. The studio, Aaron Spelling, and network made the decision to protect the international hit that was Charmed. I did not have the power to get anyone fired. Once Shannen left we had 5 more successful seasons and I am forever grateful.”
The post came off of Alyssa Milano having been asked about the situation by a fan at MegaCon. It was there that the actress — who played Phoebe Halliwell — circumnavigated the question a bit, never really saying it was untrue that she got Doherty fired but also saying the entire situation has been unfortunate for both the cast and fans. “I will just say that I’m sad. And I don’t think it’s really that I’m sad for me or for my life or how it does or does not affect my life. I’m the most sad for the fans. I’m the most sad that a show that has meant so much to so many people has been tarnished by a toxicity that is still to this day, almost a quarter of a century later, still happening.”
Alyssa Milano also added that she wished people could move on, as it only conjures up bad memories from making Charmed. Still, she does hope for a reunion, saying, “Do I wish that we could all sit on a stage? Yeah, because again, this was like almost a quarter of a century ago. How is it possible to continue to hold on to that? And I’ve, you know, I think been very upfront and taken accountability for and apologized for, whatever part I played in the situation. And I’ve been very forthcoming about that. And so I don’t know how else to fix it. I even don’t know if I could put myself out there any more than I already have to try to fix it. But yeah, it’s heartbreaking.”
The last quote does stand in a bit of contrast to Alyssa Milano’s follow-up on social media, as she says she has taken responsibility, even though she would later deny any wrongdoing. Regardless, it is unfortunate to the legacy of Charmed — which ran eight seasons — that such a dark cloud hovers over its reputation.
One of Alyssa Milano’s other co-stars, Rose McGowan (Prue replacement Paige Matthews), has also called her out for “appalling behavior” on the set.
However Alyssa Milano’s comments are interpreted and received by Charmed fans, it does seem unlikely that the leads will ever join up again. Instead, we got a reboot that, yes, led to a feud between the writers of both versions. Perhaps Cursed might have been a better title…
Were you a fan of Charmed? Do you see the feuds ever coming to an end?
