There's always drama in the workplace! For this list, we’ll be looking at notable reported quarrels between cast members of popular television shows.
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00:00 And they said it was you who banished me.
00:05 Because you were Will.
00:07 You were a kid.
00:08 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 20 TV Cast Feuds.
00:14 And I can't be around this negative energy anymore.
00:16 This is my big break and she is poisoning it.
00:19 Poison.
00:20 For this list, we're looking at notable reported quarrels between cast members of popular television
00:24 shows.
00:25 We won't be including feuds between actors and directors.
00:28 Keep in mind that some of this is based on speculation and can't be 100% fact-checked.
00:34 Did you know about any of these?
00:36 Let us know in the comments below.
00:39 Number 20.
00:40 Vivian Vance and William Frawley – I Love Lucy.
00:43 TV couples don't get much more iconic than Fred and Ethel Mertz.
00:50 Fred and Ethel often make fun of each other and have a pretty cold relationship, but they
00:55 obviously love each other deep, deep down.
00:57 Well, it seems actors Vivian Vance and William Frawley kept the making fun and cold relationship
01:03 and left out the love.
01:05 The altercation allegedly began when Vance expressed her displeasure regarding their
01:09 age difference, as she was over two decades younger than him.
01:20 Frawley for his part reportedly called her awful names and openly declared that he wished
01:24 she would leave Hollywood.
01:26 Vance even apparently declined the opportunity for a Fred and Ethel spinoff, as she no longer
01:31 wished to work with Frawley.
01:33 Number 19.
01:34 Charlie Sheen and Selma Blair – Anger Management.
01:37 This FX comedy was a comeback of sorts for Charlie Sheen after his infamous firing from
01:41 Two and a Half Men.
01:42 He stars as Charlie Goodson, an anger management consultant who has a physical relationship
01:47 with his therapist, played by Selma Blair.
01:57 While the two were passionate on screen, the reality could not have been more different.
02:01 Blair reportedly took issue with Sheen's behavior, as he would often show up to set
02:05 hours late.
02:06 She's said to have voiced her concerns, and they got back to an irate Sheen.
02:11 He, in turn, reportedly sent Blair some expletive-filled texts and essentially got her fired for it.
02:17 Though he has denied this is why she exited.
02:31 Number 18.
02:32 Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell – Martin.
02:37 It's amazing how often fictional couples actually hate each other.
02:40 A popular sitcom from the 90s, Martin stars Martin Lawrence as DJ Martin Payne, among
02:45 others.
02:46 Martin's partner is Gina Waters, played by Tisha Campbell.
02:49 However, Campbell exited when Martin was in its last season, and went on to sue Lawrence
02:54 for harassment and assault.
03:00 Her character was, in turn, written out of the sitcom.
03:03 The case ended up being settled, and Campbell came back for the series' conclusion.
03:07 But she reportedly didn't have any contact with Lawrence either on or off screen.
03:12 However, the two do seem to be on better terms now.
03:16 Number 17.
03:17 Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams – Laverne & Shirley.
03:20 Happy Days spin-off Laverne & Shirley was one of the most popular sitcoms of the 70s
03:24 and 80s.
03:25 The titular characters were respectively played by Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, both
03:29 of whom received Golden Globe nominations.
03:40 The recognition is nice, especially because they reportedly had to work hard to appear
03:45 friendly.
03:46 Williams was said to be jealous of Marshall getting the spotlight, and their working relationship
03:50 turned hostile.
03:51 Williams then became pregnant and exited the series in the eighth season.
03:55 Her absence could certainly be felt, and Laverne & Shirley ended for good in 1983.
04:00 Thankfully, though, the duo made up later on.
04:14 Number 16.
04:15 Mark Harmon and Polly Perrette – NCIS.
04:19 For 15 seasons, Mark Harmon and Polly Perrette worked together on the legendary NCIS, respectively
04:25 playing Special Agent Leroy Gibbs and Forensic Specialist Abby Schuto.
04:33 Abby was a clear fan favorite, which made the news of her departure all the more devastating.
04:38 According to The Wrap, Perrette was vocally against Harmon's dog being on set after it
04:42 bit someone.
04:44 This apparently ruined the relationship between her and Harmon, and they were reportedly kept
04:48 apart in the aftermath.
04:50 Perrette eventually left the show, though the exact why of it all is unclear.
05:04 She also claimed she suffered "physical assaults" and wrote on Twitter that she was "terrified
05:10 of Harmon and him attacking her."
05:12 Number 15.
05:13 Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepard – Moonlighting.
05:16 In this ABC dramedy, Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepard portrayed detective partners David
05:20 Addison Jr. and Maddie Hayes.
05:35 The show was an enormous success, and boosted both of their careers greatly.
05:39 But, even though it did fantastic things for them, that doesn't mean they always enjoyed
05:44 the experience.
05:45 Shepard has revealed that the two were quote "attracted to each other" and even made
05:49 out on one occasion.
05:50 But she has also repeatedly claimed that they argued all the time, even telling Entertainment
05:56 Weekly that they quote "hated each other."
05:58 Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be any remaining bad blood.
06:02 Shepard did have this to say in Willis' 2018 roast, though.
06:13 Number 14.
06:14 Kiefer Sutherland and Freddie Prinze Jr. – 24.
06:18 Freddie Prinze Jr. was brought on to 24 in its eighth and then final season, not counting
06:22 Live Another Day, playing director of field operations Cole Ortiz.
06:26 But what could have been the role of a lifetime ended up becoming a living nightmare for the
06:31 actor.
06:32 - Delta groups, this is base, come in Delta.
06:33 - Delta one, go ahead.
06:34 - I need you to deploy all available attack units to the 22nd floor of the Hart building.
06:38 I have intel on a possible sniper.
06:39 Prinze Jr. told ABC News that his time on 24 was quote "terrible" and that Kiefer
06:44 Sutherland quote "was the most unprofessional dude in the world."
06:48 - Where are the hostiles?
06:49 - They're dead.
06:50 You need to get him out of here, he's losing a lot of blood.
06:53 - Cole Ortiz, it's an honor to meet you.
06:55 Thanks for doing this.
06:56 - Sutherland also claims that the whole thing actually made him quote "want to quit the
07:00 business."
07:01 Prinze Jr. has not gone into deeper detail regarding Sutherland's supposed behavior,
07:05 so the specifics remain rather elusive.
07:08 - Number 13, Jason Alexander and Heidi Swedberg, Seinfeld.
07:12 Susan Ross is one of the most recurring side characters on Seinfeld, appearing in 29 episodes.
07:19 Susan is an NBC employee who gets the axe due to her romantic association with George
07:24 and eventually becomes his fiancé.
07:26 - I've never seen you smoke.
07:28 - Oh yeah, well, I'm a big smoker.
07:31 I gave it up for a while but it was too tough.
07:34 You know, I forgot the willpower.
07:37 - Oh, I don't like this one bit.
07:40 She later passes away after repeatedly licking poisonous envelopes.
07:45 According to Jason Alexander, this was because working with Swedberg was something of a struggle
07:49 for him and other cast members.
07:51 - I couldn't figure out how to play off of her.
07:55 While he has since clarified that it was nothing personal, he notably mentioned that their
07:59 comedic sensibilities often clashed.
08:01 Julia Louis-Dreyfus then casually said something about killing Susan off, so that is exactly
08:06 what they did.
08:07 - How did it happen?
08:08 - Apparently the glue in the wedding invitations was toxic.
08:15 - Number 12, Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion, Castle.
08:19 - Do you mind?
08:20 - I'm starting to concentrate.
08:21 - Castle follows the adventures of a homicide detective and a mystery novel writer in New
08:25 York City.
08:26 While the two would eventually grow feelings for each other, their relationship had a rocky
08:30 beginning, as Katic's detective was hesitant to work with a writer.
08:34 This hesitancy perhaps mirrored real life, as Katic and Fillion allegedly couldn't stand
08:38 each other when the cameras weren't rolling.
08:41 According to an insider who spoke to Us Weekly, Fillion and Katic wouldn't talk to each other
08:45 and Katic would often be in tears due to their animosity.
08:48 Towards the end, the two were apparently even forced into couples therapy to work out their
08:52 issues.
08:53 - I'm done.
08:55 - Number 11, Betty White and Bea Arthur, The Golden Girls.
08:59 - Oh, I'm dreading this day coming.
09:00 I just can't do it.
09:02 - Rose, calm down.
09:03 - They may have been the Golden Girls, but they certainly weren't friends.
09:07 White and Arthur appeared alongside each other on the hit TV show, with White playing the
09:11 peculiar Rose Nyland and Arthur portraying divorcee Dorothys Bornak.
09:16 However, Betty and Bea's relationship wasn't nearly as happy as Rose and Dorothys.
09:21 According to Betty White, Bea tended to grow annoyed with her bubbly personality, a behavior
09:25 Bea's adopted son attributes to her introversion.
09:27 - Forget it, I don't care.
09:28 The minks can just sit there and we'll lose all our money, I don't care.
09:33 - Bea's dislike of Betty apparently grew even worse once Betty won an Emmy, with Bea allegedly
09:38 angry that Betty won before her.
09:40 Bea would eventually win the coveted trophy in 1988, two years after Betty White.
09:45 - Auf Wiedersehen, arrivederci, adios, hasta luego.
09:51 - Get lost.
09:53 Number 10, William Shatner and almost everyone, Star Trek, the original series.
09:59 Star Trek is a legendary show.
10:01 Now let's make a show about the show, because there are apparently some juicy stories there.
10:05 It turns out there was some bickering going on while the cameras were not rolling, and
10:10 star William Shatner was often in the crosshairs.
10:12 It's been said that for a time, Shatner was jealous of the attention Leonard Nimoy was
10:17 getting, and it seems the pair had ups and downs over time.
10:21 However, details are unconfirmed.
10:23 Furthermore, Shatner has been dubbed "self-centered" or "self-involved" by different co-workers,
10:29 and this resulted in tension with the likes of George Takei and James Doohan, to name
10:33 a few.
10:39 Some feuds have since reportedly been quashed or tempered, while others, like the one with
10:43 Takei, persist.
10:53 Number 9, Andy Kaufman and everyone else, Taxi.
11:02 Anyone who knows Andy Kaufman's style of humor knows that he made for an odd co-worker.
11:07 Kaufman apparently only appeared in Taxi to financially advance his own independent career,
11:12 and as such, seemingly didn't give a hoot about its production.
11:16 And so, concessions were made to accommodate Kaufman's lack of interest.
11:19 He would allegedly appear late on a regular basis, and he was disruptive, which angered
11:24 Tony Danza.
11:29 Kaufman also insisted that his alter ego, Tony Clifton, be given guest appearances.
11:33 When they obliged, Kaufman as Clifton reportedly brought sex workers to set, caused mayhem
11:39 and acted belligerently, angering Judd Hirsch and Jeff Conaway.
11:54 Number 8, Juliana Margulies and Archie Punjabi, The Good Wife.
12:01 After six seasons portraying investigator Kalinda Sharma, Archie Punjabi left the show
12:05 to pursue other interests.
12:07 At the time, there was a rumor floating around that she left due to tension with star Juliana
12:12 Margulies.
12:13 The two supposedly didn't even film their final scene together, and production was forced
12:18 to use a green screen.
12:19 While Margulies stated that they filmed it like that because Punjabi was busy filming
12:23 another show, Punjabi took to Twitter to declare, quote, "I was in New York ready to film the
12:29 scene."
12:30 After the feud during a press tour, Punjabi told reporters that the drama would stay on
12:34 the set of The Good Wife.
12:36 Someone's lips are sealed.
12:44 Number 7, Terri Hatcher and pretty much everyone, Desperate Housewives.
12:52 One of the four main stars of Desperate Housewives, Terri Hatcher portrayed the romantic Susan
12:56 Mayer.
12:57 Unfortunately for the rest of the cast, that meant lots of scenes and time with the actress,
13:02 who allegedly was quite difficult.
13:04 In terms of the case against her, apparently Hatcher physically distanced herself from
13:09 her co-stars when the cameras weren't rolling.
13:11 The writers had considered writing Hatcher out of the show, and Nicolette Sheridan once
13:15 called Hatcher, quote, "the meanest woman in the world."
13:18 When the cast gave the crew a goodbye gift, everyone but Hatcher signed it, with an inside
13:23 source telling CelebBuzz, quote, "The girls don't get along with Terri, so they organized
13:28 this and left her out."
13:30 Number 6, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, The X-Files.
13:39 They may have played on-screen partners for years, but David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson
13:44 had some difficulty getting along with each other when the cameras weren't rolling.
13:48 The alleged feud goes as far back as 1996, when Duchovny stated, quote, "We don't
13:53 hang out.
13:54 We are very wary of the fact that any moment the other can turn into a psychotic human
13:59 being."
14:00 A testament to their complicated dynamic, he's also referenced their strained relationship
14:04 while simultaneously defending Anderson as an understanding and talented co-star.
14:14 While their relationship isn't as black and white as some of the others, there's
14:17 about a decade's worth of tabloids reports to substantiate the drama.
14:21 Thankfully, the reunion seems to have gone smoother.
14:26 Number 5, Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey, Grey's Anatomy.
14:35 There was possible tension between these two actors even before the show began airing.
14:39 Isaiah Washington had originally auditioned for the role of Derek Shepard, which ultimately
14:43 went to Patrick Dempsey.
14:45 One day after the two argued about their fellow co-stars being late, Washington reportedly
14:49 got in Dempsey's face and grabbed him by the neck, resulting in a violent brawl on
14:55 set.
14:56 After the fight, Washington jokingly told People magazine that he had never been that
14:59 close to Dempsey before and that he has, quote, "really pretty blue eyes."
15:04 Washington was later fired from the show after he supposedly used a homophobic slur towards
15:09 his co-star, T.R. Knight.
15:18 Number 4, Shannon Doherty and Jenny Garth, Beverly Hills 90210.
15:26 According to these rumors, Beverly Hills is not where you want to be.
15:29 While Shannon Doherty allegedly didn't get along with Alyssa Milano on the set of Charmed,
15:34 her relationships with her Beverly Hills co-stars were seemingly even more toxic.
15:38 Doherty had quite the reputation on set.
15:40 A notoriously heavy partier, she was known for regularly showing up late.
15:45 She would also apparently get into fights, both verbal and physical, with Jenny Garth,
15:49 who has said that the two, quote, "wanted to claw each other's eyes out."
15:53 Doherty left 90210 after only four seasons.
16:05 Number 3, Lea Michele and most people, Glee.
16:09 Egotistical, narcissistic, self-important, and grandiose.
16:14 These words perfectly describe Glee character Rachel Berry.
16:17 But according to accounts, Lea Michele wasn't far off.
16:33 The story picked up steam in 2020, when actress Samantha Marie Ware claimed that Michele
16:38 had made, quote, "traumatic microaggressions" against her, making her Glee experience, quote,
16:43 "a living hell."
16:45 While some co-stars have come to Michele's defense, others have corroborated Ware's claims
16:49 over the years.
16:51 Stars like Heather Morris have indeed claimed that Michele treated others poorly.
16:57 The late Naya Rivera, for her part, even directly compared Michele to Rachel in her 2016 book
17:02 Sorry Not Sorry, claiming that like her character, Michele, quote, "didn't like sharing the
17:07 spotlight."
17:08 Number 2, Janet Hubert and Will Smith, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
17:20 If you'll recall, Aunt Viv was portrayed by two actresses over the course of the show,
17:24 Janet Hubert and Daphne Maxwell-Reed.
17:27 Hubert left the show at the end of season three because she couldn't get along with
17:30 the show's star, Will Smith.
17:32 Smith alleges that Hubert was jealous of his success, and was nasty towards him as a result.
17:37 Hubert says that Smith was often inappropriate on set, and, long after her departure, continued
17:43 to call him a, quote, "egomaniac," among other things.
17:46 Though she had stated her belief that she would never reconcile with Smith, the two
17:50 actors reunited and did just that on HBO Max's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion.
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18:18 Number 1, Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City
18:26 There were persistent rumors of fights on the set of Sex and the City during its production,
18:30 and things finally came to an undeniable head in 2018 following the death of Cattrall's
18:35 brother.
18:36 After Parker gave her condolences, Cattrall took to Instagram to slam Parker, saying,
18:41 quote, "Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were
18:46 then and now.
18:47 Let me make this very clear.
18:49 You are not my family.
18:51 You are not my friend."
18:53 This is on top of Cattrall telling Piers Morgan that they were never friends.
18:58 However, Cattrall will return to the Sex and the City universe for a cameo in And Just
19:03 Like That, though she reportedly didn't interact with the rest of the cast.
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