Here’s All the Petty Drama That Happened on the Set of Our Favorite Nostalgic TV Shows

William Shatner wasn’t exactly the most popular guy on the set of Star Trek, but he did have the most power among the actors. Shatner had a clause in his contract allowing him to choose which photographers (if any) could be on set.

When he got jealous of Leonard Nimoy for receiving more fanmail than him, William vetoed Leonard’s on-set photoshoot, kicking the photographer out. The two actors began to argue, with Nimoy ultimately finishing his photo session, but the ordeal cost half a day of filming.

You may think you’re petty, but are you so petty that you’re unwilling to walk even one step further than your colleague? That’s how childish Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd were on the set of Moonlighting.

The pair hated each other so much that the crew had to measure the distance between their trailers and the stage and make adjustments to ensure that each actor would be walking the same amount. Although, according to Shepherd, the heat between her and Willis is what made the show “great.”

Kirk Cameron became a pain on the set of Growing Pains after his religious beliefs shifted, making him uncomfortable with the show’s material.

Cameron distanced himself from his colleagues (he didn’t even invite any of them to his wedding) and waited not-so-quietly for his contract to run out. The actor was furious about anything too secular in the script and even accused the show — which features children — of being comparable to adult films.

Despite the name of the show I Love Lucy, there wasn’t exactly a whole lot of love between Vivian Vance and William Frawley. Vance was offended that audiences found the script— in which her character is married to Frawley — to be believable as she didn’t think she’d look like she should be with “that old man.”

In retaliation, William asked the writers to put insults about Vivian in the script. For example, his line about his wife having “a figure like a sack full of doorknobs” was added.

The cast of The Beverley Hillbillies had conflicting political views, which is something that can be contentious in any workplace. However, once you add fame and influence to the mix, heated disagreements tend to reach a boiling point.

That’s what happened when Buddy Ebsen went on the radio to endorse his preferred party. While that’s all fine and well, he specifically called out his co-star, Nancy Kulp, and her differing views while on the air. Needless to say, Kulp was pretty much done with Ebsen after that.

When one thinks of Bob Saget, one thinks of the sweet fatherly figure Danny Tanner. In reality, though, Saget was referred to as “Dirty Daddy” due to the fact that he, along with Dave Coulier and John Stamos, would make highly inappropriate jokes while filming the family-friendly show Full House.

On more than one occasion, the trio was reprimanded by not only the producers but also the parents of the child actors. Yikes!

Tom Wopat and John Schneider (Luke and Bo Duke) didn’t have time for small disputes on the set of The Dukes of Hazzard. Instead, they took their grievances all the way to the top, suing Warner Brothers for $25 million in royalties from The Dukes of Hazzard merchandise.

The two actors refused to participate in season five out of protest, effectively destroying the show’s ratings, so the network countersued. That mess lasted almost a year until an undisclosed agreement was made.

One of the most famous behind-the-scenes dramas in history is that of Will Smith (Will) and Janet Hubert (Aunt Vivian) on the set of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The pair simply couldn’t get along, due to egos, money, and fame, resulting in Aunt Vivian being recast altogether in season four.

After decades of feuding, Smith and Hubert finally buried the hatchet in 2020 on the Fresh Prince reunion show. While the apology was nice and all, the damage was already done.

Like within any family, the cast of The Partridge Family had their fair share of disputes. However, unlike in a real family, the resolution was to kick one member out entirely. The role of Chris was re-cast in 1971, and the official reason given was innocent enough. The child actor Jeremy Gelbwaks’s family moved to another state.

However, Gelbwaks’s co-star David Cassidy threw Jeremy under the bus, saying the real reason for the young actor’s departure was “a personality conflict with the cast and the producers.”

We all know that Hollywood loves to cast older men with inappropriately young female love interests. Well, Little House on the Prairie was no exception, as then-15-year-old Melissa Gilbert was expected to play the wife of then-23-year-old Dean Butler.

Gilbert, understandably, felt uncomfortable with the kissing scenes between herself and Butler, causing issues with production. Eventually, a lot of the smooches were swapped out for hugs, and Dean and Melissa are actually very close (platonic) friends.

Eve Plumb (Jan Brady) and Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady) had to deal with all the trappings of being child stars while working together on the set of The Brady Bunch. It seems that the two simply didn’t like each other, which sometimes happens between colleagues.

However, fuel was added to the fire when rumors began circulating that the two young girls were romantically involved. That gossip seemed to be the last straw, dashing any hopes of a Brady Bunch reunion.

As it turns out, the set of Happy Days didn’t live up to the show’s title, at least not for Roz Kelly, who played Carol “Pinky” Tuscadero. Pinky was all set to be The Fonz’s long-term girlfriend, but those plans were scrapped when Kelly struggled to get along with her colleagues, leading to Carol being written out after only three episodes.

Roz explained, “I grew up on welfare, so I don’t relate to rich kids.” Um, it’s fine not being besties, but how about just getting along professionally?

On-screen husband and wife Gabe Kaplan and Marcia Strassman hated each other so much that the entire cast and crew of Welcome Back, Kotter had to choose sides.

Strassman tried to get out of her contract by blasting Kaplan to the press. While that method didn’t release Marcia of her obligation to the show, it did reduce Gabe’s appearances in season four, so the pair wouldn’t have to be together on set.

Despite Charmed being a show about sisterhood, some of the cast seemed to feel they were in competition with one another, especially Shannen Doherty and Alyssa Milano. Things got so tense on set that Doherty exited the show altogether.

Left with only two sisters to carry the series, producers decided to create the storyline of Paige, the long-lost half-sister. As implausible as that whole shtick was, fans loved the addition of Rose McGowan to the cast. Interestingly, McGowan says she also struggled to work with Milano.

Despite the entire original cast of Charlie’s Angels signing five-year contracts, two of the three Angels wanted out early. Farrah Faucett got her way after a legal battle, and exited the series. However, Kate Jackson wasn’t so lucky.

Jackson was offered the female lead in Kramer vs. Kramer but was denied time off Charlie’s Angels to work on it. After Kramer vs. Kramer earned Meryl Streep an Oscar, Jackson created issues on the show’s set until producers let her go.

Like many employees, Suzanne Somers tried to negotiate a raise when her contract ended at Three’s Company. The actress requested that her salary be the same as that of her colleague, John Ritter.

Not only was Somers fired rather than compensated for her work, but Ritter took personal offense to the idea that the two talents might be of equal worth. According to Suzanne, John led the rest of the cast in icing her out. Luckily, the two made up before Ritter’s passing.

As the star of the hit show Dallas, Larry Hagman felt he had all the leverage when it came time to negotiate a raise. When his request was denied, Hagman not only left the show, but he left California altogether!

Have you ever been so angry at being told ‘no’ that you fled the state?! After a 10-day standoff in which Larry was supposed to be filming, the producers gave in and awarded the actor $75,000 per episode.

Danny Thomas and Jean Hagen never really got along while working together on Make Room for Daddy. Eventually, things got so contentious that Hagen decided to leave the show altogether.

Instead of counting his lucky stars that his nemesis was gone, Thomas decided that he had to get the last word in. The actor insisted the writers kill off his co-star’s character, rather than letting Jean exit on her own terms.

Given that he was a well-respected actor in his time, George Peppard assumed that he’d be the star of The A-Team — and have the salary to go with it.

However, it didn’t take long for Peppard to realize that Mr. T was the one viewers were drawn to — and he was getting paid more. George responded by refusing to speak to Mr. T directly or even referring to him by name. How mature.

Laverne & Shirley star Penny Marshall’s brother was the creator of the show, so no one was surprised when she was cast. However, Cindy Williams didn’t like the nepotism involved in her co-star’s fame.

Both women routinely insisted that the other wanted her out so that she could be the sole star. In the end, Marshall was the one who got the spotlight. When Williams became pregnant, she was refused maternity leave, so she filed a $20 million lawsuit to get out of her contract.

While everyone’s responsible for their own behavior, it’s worth noting that many cast members of Buffy the Vampire Slayer have called the show a toxic work environment. That being said, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan let their surroundings get the better of them and routinely fought on set.

Apparently, things got particularly bad when Gellar took it upon herself to announce that the show was ending — before Hannigan and the rest of the cast had been informed.

Not for the first time, Shannen Doherty found herself struggling to get along with her colleagues, and this particular feud was with Jennie Garth. It seems that having similar personalities, yet trying to stand out, caused a rift between the stars of Beverly Hills, 90210.

There was even an incident in which Doherty pulled up Garth’s skirt in front of the crew! These days, the women get along much better after reuniting for the 90210 reboot, although it’s doubtful they’ll ever be friends.

Despite playing best friends on screen, Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker refused to speak to each other when the cameras weren’t rolling. Can you imagine how awkward it must’ve been on the set of Sex and the City when the friendly chatter was replaced with icy silence?

Apparently, Cattrall was resentful that Parker was paid more than the rest of the cast. That being said, the feud is rebooted in some form or another every few years — just like Sex and the City itself!

Jason Alexander wanted Heidi Swedberg’s character to be killed off Seinfeld so that he wouldn’t have to work with her anymore. In a refreshing twist, though, Alexander insists it had absolutely nothing to do with Swedberg as a person.

He explained that the pair’s professional methods just didn’t match. The actor said, “Her instincts for doing a scene, where the comedy was, and mine, were always misfiring.” Sometimes, it just isn’t meant to be…

Mila Kunis famously lied about her age in order to get a role on That ‘70s Show. A consequence of that lie, though, meant that then-14-year-old Kunis had to act out romantic scenes with a then-20-year-old Ashton Kutcher.

Apparently, the pair had “zero romantic connection” and would avoid each other on set. It’s safe to say that it all worked out, though, as Mila and Ashton are now married and have two children together.

Apparently, there was just as much drama between John Forsythe and Joan Collins as there was with their Dynasty characters. In fact, tensions were so high that they went a whole season without speaking to each other off-camera!

Collins says that Forsythe always wanted the spotlight — and wasn’t interested in sharing it. The actress believes another reason for the feud was ageism in Hollywood and the fact that it was constantly implied that she was “old,” while John, who’s her senior, didn’t have to deal with that.

Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush are a perfect example of why it’s best to think twice before dating a colleague. They pair met on the set of One Tree Hill, got married, and then got divorced — all while the show was still filming.

They not only had to continue working together but were often made to play a couple. Bush partly blames the producers, saying that if she or her co-star would reveal something about their personal lives on set, it’d end up as a storyline on the show.

Who could predict that four young people who became rich and famous practically overnight wouldn’t make for the most professional colleagues? Apparently, the producers of The OC didn’t see this coming, as they were taken by surprise when the core cast became bored with the show.

Actor Tate Donovan revealed, “By [season three], the kids had developed a really bad attitude. They just didn’t want to be doing the show anymore. It was pretty tough; they were very tough to work with.”

The star of Roseanne, Roseanne Barr, didn’t get along with the writers very well, even insisting that one of them be fired or she’d quit! Barr admitted that she didn’t bother to learn their names. Instead, she assigned a number to each writer (if she can remember a number, can’t she remember a name?).

At the time, the actress’s behavior was tolerated because she was the main character. However, Roseanne’s good graces ran out during the show’s revival, when she was fired over a controversial tweet.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar hasn’t spoken to his Saved by the Bell co-star Dustin Diamond since 1994, but there’s no hate involved. Gosselaar explained that the cast struggled financially, as their contracts from the show were unfair, leading Diamond to write a tell-all book that most of his former colleagues took offense to.

However, Mark-Paul had a different perspective. The actor said, “I could see where he would have to do things to make ends meet. Never took it personally.”

Designing Women actress Delta Burke had a fallout with the show’s producers, which led to her being fired. Burke says she was constantly being asked to lose weight, had things thrown at her, and was locked into rooms while on set.

As a rebuttal, one of the producers insisted that his colleague changed after getting married, and Delta’s husband convinced her she was the star of the show, leading her to become bossy and difficult to work with. Eventually, everyone reconciled, and Burke starred in the show’s spinoff series.

If you sensed something a little off about the final season of Will & Grace, you weren’t imagining it. Sources say that the tension between Debra Messing and Megan Mullally got so intense that it impacted the series’s swan song.

The source said that the actresses “can’t stand to be near each other, and it created an impossible atmosphere on the set.” While both women have remained mum about what caused the rift, rumor has it that Messing was jealous of Mullaly’s success.

It seems that Harvey Korman didn’t really want to be on The Carol Burnett Show and resented the star for trying to salvage the situation. Carol Brunett said that Korman would arrive to work with an attitude problem, making filming an unpleasant experience for everyone.

When she confronted the actor, he said that his feelings were none of her business. Carol responded that anything ruining her show was her business. YES! Eventually, Harvey fixed his attitude and grew to respect his colleague for standing up to him.

There are some people who truly mean well, but inadvertently rub others the wrong way. Shelley Long seems to be one of those people. She was the outcast on the set of Cheers, which contributed to her decision to leave the show after season five.

Showrunner Ken Levine explained, “[Long] could be difficult. She could be obstinate. She could overthink something to death. But it was never out of spite.” He called working with the actress “exhausting” but also clarified that “Shelley has a good heart.”

David Yost, aka the Blue Ranger, left the show Power Rangers in 1996, due to bigoted comments on set. Yost recalled, “Basically, I just felt like I was continually being told I was not worthy of being where I am because I’m a gay person. And I’m not supposed to be an actor. And I’m not a superhero.”

Um, it seems that the showrunners needed to be reminded of the Power Ranger mantra: “When you become a Ranger, you are always a part of the Ranger family and always welcome.”

Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny get along just fine these days, which stands in stark contrast to when they were filming The X-Files. Luckily, ​​Duchovny and Anderson’s frustration with one another wasn’t personal.

David explained, “Familiarity breeds contempt. It’s nothing to do with the other person. […] We used to argue about nothing. We couldn’t stand the sight of each other.” They’ve since worked together on the show’s revival and seem to be friends, so we believe it was just a matter of oversaturation.

Freddie Prinze Jr. seemed happy to share that he “hated every moment” of working with Kiefer Sutherland on 24. While he didn’t specify an exact incident, Prinze said that Sutherland was overall “the most unprofessional dude in the world.” Wow, tell us how you really feel!

When Kiefer finally responded, he did so through a rep, and honestly came out looking like the bigger man. The rep said, “This is the first he has heard of Freddie’s grievances. Kiefer enjoyed working with Freddie and wishes him the best.”

Christopher Eccleston was extremely well-received for his work on Dr. Who, but that positive feedback wasn’t enough to keep him on the show. While he didn’t reveal any incriminating details, Eccleston did explain his overall reason for leaving.

He said, “My relationship with my three immediate superiors – the showrunner, the producer, and co-producer – broke down irreparably during the first block of filming, and it never recovered. They lost trust in me, and I lost faith and trust and belief in them.”

It’s pretty confusing what happened between Isaiah Washington and T.R. Knight while the two worked together on Grey’s Anatomy. Allegedly, Washington called Knight by a derogatory term while on set. Isaiah apologized, which seemed to be enough. However, he then contradicted his apology by denying that he ever said a slur at all.

In the end, Washington was fired from the show due to the controversy. The actor was either extremely frustrated or felt cornered (you decide) and quit the entertainment industry altogether, saying the “haters have won.”

Lindsay Lohan has had a rough go of fame which, according to her former colleagues, hasn’t been helped by her attitude on set. Things were no different for the actress when she made a guest appearance on Ugly Betty and butted heads with the show’s star, America Ferrera.

Ultimately, Lohan appeared in only four out of her six scheduled episodes, but Ferrera insists their lack of comradery isn’t to blame. She hasn’t offered an alternative reason for the shortened role, though, so take from that what you will.

There was always tension between Andy Griffith and Frances Bavier while filming The Andy Griffith Show. However, Bavier — who played the beloved Aunt Bee — expected Griffith to put their differences aside when she was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Unfortunately, Frances felt abandoned by her co-stars. Furthering the issue was the fact that Aunt Bee was killed off in the movie when Bavier refused to participate in filming. Given her own health struggles, the actress took her character’s demise as a personal offense.

Having your thunder stolen is never fun, but how much worse would it be to come in second after an inanimate object? That’s how the cast of ALF felt, as they were well-respected actors, but a puppet was the star of the show.

Despite Max Wright’s disdain for the series, the actor admitted the program’s success. He said, “It doesn’t matter what I felt or what the days were like. ALF brought people a lot of joy. They adored it.”

John Belushi didn’t get along with any of his female colleagues on Saturday Night Live, as he’d purposely ruin their material. The actor believed that women were “fundamentally not funny” and, therefore, he’d butcher any part of the script written by a female writer.

SNL alum, Jane Curtin, revealed that Belushi “felt as though it was his duty to sabotage pieces written by women.” If women are “fundamentally not funny,” wouldn’t their pieces be self-sabotaging anyway? It seems that John didn’t even believe his own shtick!

Betty White and Bea Arthur had a one-sided feud on the set of The Golden Girls, as the former wasn’t fussed by the latter. Arthur, however, found White’s constant happiness to be annoying rather than infectious.

Bea’s son once said, “My mom unknowingly carried the attitude that it was fun to have somebody to be angry at. It was almost like Betty became her nemesis, someone she could always roll her eyes about at work.”

Even the most diehard Friends fans are willing to admit that season nine simply wasn’t up to par. Joey and Rachel’s relationship just didn’t feel right to the viewers — and apparently, the actors agreed.

Matt LeBlanc, who played Joey, has said, “Everybody got super-defensive about the whole thing. We went to David and Marta as a group and said, ‘We’re really concerned about this. It doesn’t feel right. We have a problem with it.’” It’s nice to know the cast at least tried to stay true to their characters.