‘Charmed’ Star Holly Marie Combs Says Alyssa Milano Got Shannen Doherty Fired

Did Alyssa Milano really get Charmed co-star Shannen Doherty kicked off the show? That’s exactly what happened, according to fellow co-star Holly Marie Combs.

Appearing on the latest episode of Doherty’s Let’s Be Clear podcast, Combs opened up about what she remembered of her co-star’s departure at the end of the third season.

Combs recalled having a meeting with a producer at the time, “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. We were told [by Alyssa] it’s her or [Shannen], and Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment.'”

In the series, which revolved around a trio of witch sisters known as The Charmed Ones, Doherty played the eldest sister, Prue Halliwell. Combs starred as the middle sister, Piper Halliwell, while Milano played the youngest sister, Phoebe Halliwell.

Richard Cartwright /© The WB Television Network / Courtesy Everett Collection

However, Combs, who portrayed Piper from 1998 to 2006, said she couldn’t remember any “harsh words” or “brawls” happening on the set, especially not in front of the crew. She noted that any tension was mostly contained behind the scenes.

“I lived a year after that sort of replaying everything in my brain and really trying to find those moments,” Doherty shared. “I don’t ever remember being mean to [Alyssa] on set.”

She claimed that the rift started after Milano found out that Doherty was the highest-paid cast member on the show, but said that she always made sure to accommodate Milano despite their differences.

“I remember an episode I directed where she did something on the Christmas break,” Doherty recalled. “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.”

Viacom / courtesy Everett Collection

But Doherty has tried to put the past behind her, saying, “As you get older, you accept that a situation happened. Acceptance and moving on with your life does not equate to forgiveness. You just learn a lesson and look at somebody differently and move on.”

As for Milano, while she has acknowledged the rift, she told Andy Cohen in a 2013 interview that she had no idea what happened to cause Doherty’s departure. “I don’t know if she got fired,” Milano said. “We never really found out what happened.”

In terms of a potential Charmed reboot or continuation with the original cast, Combs told Doherty, “I have no problem doing it. I just hope for better special effects, [and] I hope for people to understand that this show, this job, meant so much to so many people around the world.”

“I would do it,” she continued. “I just hope people would come to it with an understanding that some things are bigger than you and some things are more important than personal feelings. And there’s also split screen and green screen, so people don’t have to work with each other if they don’t want to. We can just make it look like you do.”