Charmed Star Combs Calls Shannon Doherty Firing ‘Sick and Twisted’
The power of three could not save Shannon Doherty from being fired, and her Charmed co-star, Holly Marie Combs, is speaking out. In recent interviews, Combs states that the way Doherty was fired from the show was sick and twisted. Shannon Doherty played Prue Halliwell, the eldest and most powerful sister of the witch trio, for three seasons. In the final episode of Season 3, “All Hell Breaks Loose” part 2, Prue and Piper are killed; however, in the first episode of Season 4, Prue is the only witch dead.
Charmed’s Unforgettable Sisters Divided By Drama
Over 20 years later, Shannon Doherty’s departure from the show remains a hot topic because of the alleged reason she was fired. The Charmed TV series ran for eight seasons from 1998 to 2006 on The WB.
The show followed the lives of the three Halliwell sisters, Prue (Shannon Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs), and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), later joined by Paige Matthews (Rose McGowan). The sisters are learning to navigate life with new powers, protecting innocents, while trying to balance out their personal lives.
Anyone who watched the first three seasons of Charmed knows Prue was the star and the witch not to mess with. She was usually the one who came up with the solution or had to rescue her sister. But on the other hand, Phobe was the young, fun, fashionable sister and relatable to most young twenty-year-olds trying to figure out life.
Explosive Charmed Feud Divides Cast Members
There are two sides to every story, and in this case, it is Prue and Piper’s story versus Phoebe’s. In a recent conversation on the rewatch podcast “The House of Halliwell, Holly Marie Combs expressed that the way the Heathers actor “was fired was sick and twisted because they had her direct her own final episode.
She goes on to say that “the way producers handled the firing was mishandled because they wanted the show hiatus to tell Doherty over the phone that she was fired”.
The reason “allegedly “behind the “90210” star being fired is because of drama between her and Milano. And that producer was left with an ultimatum that they had to choose either Doherty or Milano. It’s claimed that Shanno Doherty made the workplace hostile for “The Project Runway Allstars” host. The other narrative is that Shannon Doherty quit.
Powerful Allegations Rock Charmed’s Legacy
In 2023, Shannon Doherty and Holly Combs discussed rumors of her being fired on the podcast Let’s Be Clear. The podcast host said she “did not leave Charmed on her own but was fired after Alyssa Milano threatened production with a lawsuit”.
She goes on to say that the narrative she quit was assigned to her to protect her career and reputation, rather than adding another firing to her resume. Combs, in the same interview, revealed that a producer told her,”
[He said], ‘We were told that it’s her or me. Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment,” explained Combs. “Because she (Milano) went to the therapist or the mediator or the corporate mediator, whatever the heck his title is, she built a case for herself where she was documenting every time she felt uncomfortable on set.
Fiery Response: Alyssa Milano Breaks Silence
Milano has never fully come out and admit to getting Doherty fired from Charmed, instead apologizing and taking accountability for her part in the situation, and urging everyone to move on.
But in 2024, after addressing the ladies for accusing her of the reason for the show’s decision, Miss Phobe Halliwall posted a comment on her Instagram, “I did not have the power to get anyone fired.” “This was so long ago that any retelling of these stories from anyone is just revisionist history.“
Healing Message: Let the Past Go
Who knows what the real story is, but the people agree with Milano; it’s time to move on. Shannon Doherty died in 2024 from stage 4 breast cancer, and the incident was over almost 25 years ago.
It is pointless for Combs to keep rehashing a TV drama from 2001; leave it as a conspiracy theory on Reddit.
