Holly Marie Combs and Rose McGowan Defend Shannen Doherty After Alyssa Milano Denied Being Behind Charmed Firing

06/02/2024 17:48

"No one should have to lie about their own life for the comfort of another," Combs said Monday.

Holly Marie Combs and Rose McGowan are coming to Shannen Doherty's defense following Alyssa Milano's recent comments at a Charmed panel in Orlando over the weekend.

In a newInstagram video made of screenshots of Combs' statement, the Pretty Little Liars actress said she was "disappointed" in her former costar, Milano, after she denied claims that she got Doherty fired from the hit WB series -- claims Combs made while appearing on Doherty's podcast last month.

"I feel the need to defend myself after the many continuing attacks that have ensued since Alyssa stepped out on the stage and essentially called Shannen and I liars when she was simply asked what it was like to work with Rose, Combs began.

In her statement Monday, Combs reaffirmed that their recollection is "not revisionist history," which Milano previously referred to their versions as.

She continued, "This is just the history [Milano] didn't want people to know about. And the history Shannen wasn't ready to talk about until one month ago. No one should have to lie about their own life for the comfort of another."

While Combs said she "long wanted the girls to just get along for the sake of something bigger than all of [them] combined," she realized after this weekend that it was "not in the cards" for this group.

Combs also revealed that after Charmed, she told her co-stars "to lay off [each] other."

Elsewhere in the video statement, the actress explained how "ironic" it was that Milano claimed she did not "have the power to fire anyone" when she said the situation was in fact "all about power."

"Let me explain what she did have the power to do," Combs wrote. "She had the power to stop the process at any time. She had the power to not talk to the mediator/therapist brought on to protect profits."

Shannen Doherty Responds After Alyssa Milano Denies Getting Her Fired From Charmed

"And when producers said ok we will let Shannen go, Alyssa also had the power to say no I don't want that. But she did not. She had the power to say no just as Shannen had said no I don't want you to replace Alyssa when posed with the same option," she continued. "Because she was a child actor who supported a family just as Alyssa does and understood the great importance and responsibility of that.

"Even now this pains me to write," Combs wrote. "It was heartbreaking then and still [is] now."

Combs didn't place all of the blame on Milano however, slamming the show's producers for allegedly keeping the trio "divided as opposed to united." She speculated, "3 broken pieces were easier to manipulate than one united front. Which would have been more costly and cut into their precious profit margin."

Combs concluded the post and declared that "in the end, it all worked out as destiny would have it."

"Charmed was made for all of you and lastly the truth of the matter is we all are, despite our differences, incredibly grateful for this dysfunctional family in every way," she added.

Alyssa Milano Breaks Silence on Charmed Drama Amid Claims She Got Shannen Doherty Fired

McGowan, who equally defended Doherty during the trio's separate panel appearance at the MegaCon convention over the weekend, chimed in in the comments, lending her support to Combs.

"I love your big black heart and respect you, HMC. I love what the show has meant to people worldwide. Sometimes a mess has to be made for things to be cleaned up. This for me is way bigger than a tv show, it goes to years of continuous behind the scenes character assassination and targeted reputation smearing because of narcissistic pathological jealousy," McGowan wrote. "I wish none of it had to be this way. I remain proud of everyone involved for the magic we wove and the magic created worldwide. Truth is uncomfortable, but magic never dies ❤️."

On Sunday, Doherty broke down while addressing Milano's comments regarding her exit from the show, calling them "very hurtful."

The actress, who is currently battling Stage 4 cancer, said, "At this point in my life, with my health diagnosis -- sorry if I start crying -- with fighting a horrific disease every day of my life, it is also incredibly important to me that the truth actually be told as opposed to the narrative that others put out there for me."

"We told it together," she added. "We told our truths, and we are standing by our truths."

Speaking directly to Milano, who expounded on her comments in an Instagram post Saturday, Doherty told the crowd Feb. 4, "There is no revisionist history happening in the truth that I know we told. There's no brush flinging or shoe flinging. There is no lateness to set. There is no mediator for months on end. I recall the facts as if I were still living in them. And what I will say is that what somebody else may call 'drama' is an actual trauma for me, that I have been living through it for an extremely long time."

Shannen Doherty Shares 'Miracle' Health Update Amid Stage 4 Cancer Battle

The actress continued, "It is only through my battle with cancer that I decided to address this trauma and be open and honest about it so that I can actually heal from a livelihood that was taken from me, a livelihood that was taken away from my family, because someone else wanted to be No. 1 on the call sheet. That is the truth."

As for Milano, she was vehement in her claims that it was Charmed's network and show creator, Aaron Spelling who made the final decision on Doherty's firing -- not her.

"I think I've been very upfront and taken accountability for and apologized for whatever part I played in the situation," she later admitted. "I have been very forthcoming about that. I don't know how else to fix it."