Shannen Doherty didn’t quit Charmed — she was fired.
In the most recent episode of her podcast Let’s Be Clear published on Monday, the actor decided to come clean about her exit from the beloved WB series.
She admitted during a second interview with her former Charmed co-star, Holly Marie Combs, that she was fired from the show, despite having always said she quit after its third season in 2001.
Explaining why she lied about being fired, Shannen said:
“My representatives, I remember them looking at me at the time and said, ‘No, no, no, your career won’t survive another firing, so we’re just going to say that you chose to leave’. I remember I started laughing, going, ‘Who is going to believe that I’m crazy enough to leave a hit show?’”
As to why she finally decided to share the truth about her departure from the series, Shannen said: “One can’t keep telling the same story over and over and over again, when it’s not the truth.”
During the episode, Holly also recalled a conversation she had with Charmed producer Jonathan Levin, who allegedly told her that Alyssa threatened to sue for hostile workplace environment if Shannen wasn’t fired from the show.
“He said, you know, ‘We’re basically in a position where it’s one or the other. We were told [by Alyssa] that it’s [Shannen] or me, and Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment,’” Holly said, noting how Alyssa had “built a case for herself” by documenting every time she felt uncomfortable on set with a mediator.
Holly added that Alyssa’s threat of legal action “by today’s standard it wouldn’t fucking fly,” noting there were never any “brawls” or “harsh words” said on set between Shannen and Alyssa.
“I don’t ever remember being mean to [Alyssa] on set,” Shannen said elsewhere in the conversation, noting how she once worked around some things for Alyssa for a Charmed episode Shannen directed. “I couldn’t have been more kind and understanding.”
Later in the episode, Shannen also said she wished she handled her exit from the show differently.
“I wish that I had been older and wiser because I definitely would’ve sued, and I would’ve been honest about the situation because the rumours followed me regardless,” she said.