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

05/02/2024 20:03

"A lot of things have been said and a lot of them very hurtful," Doherty told a crowd at a fan convention alongside fellow former costars Rose McGowan and Holly Marie Combs.

Shannen Doherty is speaking out following Alyssa Milano's recent comments at MegaCon in Orlando, Florida over the weekend.

Doherty headed up a separate panel with her Charmed co-stars, Holly Marie Combs and Rose McGowan, where she addressed Milano denying claims that she got Doherty fired from the WB series. The claims were first made during a December episode of Doherty's Let's Be Clear podcast, in which she and Combs candidly discussed the behind-the-scenes drama on the show.

"A lot of things have been said," Doherty, who was sat between McGowan and Combs, told the crowd, "And a lot of them very hurtful."

The actress, who is currently battling Stage 4 cancer continued, "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."

Doherty's MegaCon address comes just days after Milano shut down rumors that she was the one who got the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum axed from the fan-favorite show.

"I feel like I should address the elephant in the room," Milano told convention-goers on a separate panel Friday. "You're all Charmed fans, I knew this was going to come up in one way or another. I want to be very thoughtful in how I respond to any of this."

She continued, "I will just say that I'm sad. I don't think it's really that I'm sad for me or for my life or how it does or does not affect my life. I'm the most sad for the fans. I am 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."

While Milano noted that she understands that Doherty and Combs are still coping with their feelings, she said she also had to work on processing her own trauma she says she experienced while filming the highly popular TV show.

"When I think back to that time it was hard for me, and I have worked super hard in my life in the last 25 years to heal all of my trauma," Milano shared. "And that's not just all the trauma that I experienced while shooting but all of my trauma. I've worked really hard to heal the bits because I understand that hurt people hurt people and my intention is to be a healed person that helps heal people."

Despite the drama, the Melrose Place alum said she wished she and her co-stars could get on stage to do a panel together for their fans, but is at a loss over what else she can do to fix things amongst the group.

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

Milano further addressed the drama on Instagram Saturday morning, where she broke down what led to Doherty's Charmed exit, and maintained that she "did not have the power" to get anyone fired from the show.

"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. This is 15 movies and 13 TV shows ago for me. This was 11 years before my 15 year marriage and 13 years before having my first child. This was so long ago that any retelling of these stories from anyone is just revisionist history," Milano wrote, before noting that the on-set rift between her and Doherty was documented in real-time, with a professional mediator brought in in an attempt to salvage things amongst the cast.

She continued, "I will add, though, with absolute certainty—everything was documented. There was a professional mediator (I was told Holly and Shannen would not participate in any mediation) and an on-set producer/babysitter who were both brought in to investigate all claims. It was then recommended by this mediator, after collecting testimony from cast AND crew—what changes should be made if the show was going to continue."

Milano went on to claim that it was the network and show creator, Aaron Spelling who made the final decision -- not her.

Speaking directly to Milano's Instagram follow-up, Doherty told the crowd Sunday, "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."

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."

McGowan, who joined Charmed after Doherty left, hugged the actress after she finished speaking.

"We've protected you for a long time," McGowan added, seemingly speaking to Milano. "We've done it for as long as we could, and there's a great, great comedian named Katt Williams who has a wonderful, wonderful saying: 'Winners do not let losers rewrite history.'"