Charmed Drama Resurfaced & Alyssa Milano Tried To Vanquish It

Charmed’s old demons won’t be killed off easily. They rose up again when Alyssa Milano appeared at MegaCon Orlando on Feb. 2, and she shared how “sad” she is that the decades-old drama and “toxicity” continues to play out. The next day, she posted a transcript of her comments on Instagram and further addressed the iconic teen series’ complicated history and legacy.

Charmed’s Ongoing “Toxicity”

For a show about the power of sisters coming together, there was a lot of strife within the cast during its eight-season run from 1998 to 2006. The conflicts came up at MegaCon when a fan asked Milano about Shannen Doherty’s claims that she had her fired during Season 3. In December, Doherty reunited with Charmed’s Holly Marie Combs on her Let’s Be Clear podcast, and the two asserted that Milano played a key role in Doherty’s ousting and subsequent replacement by Rose McGowan.

At MegaCon, Milano said she knew the issue would come up “one way or another” and wanted to be “very thoughtful” in her response, per Collider’s transcript. “I think we all know I’m talking about Shannen’s podcast and Holly and Shannen doing it together, the things that Rose has said in the past,” she told the audience. Looking at the whole situation, she summed it up by saying she’s “sad” — mostly 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,” Milano said. “And I’m sad that people can’t move past it. And I’m sad that we all can’t just celebrate the success of a show that meant so much to all of us.”

Differing Stories

On Let’s Be Clear, Combs told Doherty that Charmed producer Jonathan Levin told her they were “backed into this corner” and it was either Doherty or Milano, with Milano “[threatening] to sue [them] for a hostile workplace environment.” The network had gotten a mediator involved, but Combs said she and Doherty refused to speak to them. Meanwhile, Milano “was documenting every time she felt uncomfortable on set and for whatever reasons … so that’s where the deck was stacked,” Combs added.

Milano addressed Combs’ version of events in her Instagram caption on Feb. 3 and denied that she had “the power to get anyone fired.” Their stories lined up when it came to the mediator, however. Milano said the mediator and a producer investigated claims and recommended “what changes should be made” for the show to continue.

Trying To Let Go

While Milano did delve into the past both at MegaCon and on social media, the bulk of her Instagram caption highlighted her disappointment that past feuds are still entangled with the series’ legacy. “I don’t know one other show that has had the success that Charmed had where the cast still speaks ill of the experience a quarter of a century later,” she wrote. At MegaCon, she also shared her wish that they “could all sit on a stage” together, asking, “How is it possible to hold onto that?”

An onstage reunion doesn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon, but before concluding, Milano thanked the fans “who have to deal with the chaos” and wished “peace and light” to Doherty, Combs, and McGowan.