Top 20 TV Cast Feuds
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 TV Cast Feuds. For this list, we’ll be looking at notable reported quarrels between cast members of popular television shows. We will not be including feuds between actors and directors. Keep in mind that some of this is based on speculation, and can’t be 100% fact-checked. Did you know about any of these? Let us know in the comments below!
#20: Vivian Vance & William Frawley
“I Love Lucy” (1951-57)
TV couples don’t get much more iconic than Fred and Ethel Mertz. Fred and Ethel often make fun of each other and have a pretty cold relationship, but they obviously love each other deep, deep down. Well, it seems actors Vivian Vance and William Frawley kept the making fun and cold relationship and left out the love. The altercation allegedly began when Vance expressed her displeasure regarding their age difference, as she was over two decades years younger than him. Frawley, for his part, reportedly called her awful names and openly declared that he wished she would leave Hollywood. Vance even apparently declined the opportunity for a Fred and Ethel spinoff, as she no longer wished to work with Frawley.
#19: Charlie Sheen & Selma Blair
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“Anger Management” (2012-14)
This FX comedy was a comeback of sorts for Charlie Sheen after his infamous firing from “Two and a Half Men.” He stars as Charlie Goodson, an anger management consultant who has a physical relationship with his therapist, played by Selma Blair. While the two were passionate on-screen, the reality couldn’t have been more different. Blair reportedly took issue with Sheen’s behavior, as he would often show up to set hours late. She’s said to have voiced her concerns, and they got back to an irate Sheen. He in turn reportedly sent Blair some expletive-filled texts and essentially got her fired from the show, though he’s denied this is why she exited.
#18: Martin Lawrence & Tisha Campbell
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“Martin” (1992-97)
It’s amazing how often fictional couples actually hate each other. A popular sitcom from the ‘90s, “Martin” stars Martin Lawrence as DJ Martin Payne, among others. Payne’s partner is Gina Waters, played by Tisha Campbell. However, Campbell exited when “Martin” was in its last season, and went on to sue Lawrence for harassment and assault. Her character was in turn written out of the sitcom. The case ended up being settled, and Campbell came back for the series’ conclusion. But she reportedly didn’t have any contact with Lawrence either on or off screen. However, the two seem to be on better terms now.
#17: Penny Marshall & Cindy Williams
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“Laverne & Shirley” (1976-83)
“Happy Days” spinoff “Laverne & Shirley” was one of the most popular sitcoms of the ‘70s and ‘80s. The titular characters were respectively played by Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, both of whom received Golden Globe nominations. The recognition is nice, especially because they reportedly had to work hard to appear friendly. Williams was said to be jealous of Marshall getting the spotlight, and their working relationship turned hostile. Williams then became pregnant and exited the series in the eighth season. Her absence could certainly be felt, and “Laverne & Shirley” ended for good in 1983. Thankfully though, the duo made up later on.
#16: Mark Harmon & Pauley Perrette
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“NCIS” (2003-)
For fifteen seasons, Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette worked together on the legendary “NCIS,” respectively playing Special Agent Leroy Gibbs and Forensic Specialist Abby Sciuto. Abby was a clear fan-favorite, which made the news of her departure all the more devastating. According to The Wrap, Perrette was vocally against Harmon’s dog being on set after it bit someone. This apparently ruined the relationship between her and Harmon, and they were reportedly kept apart in the aftermath. Perrette eventually left the show, though the exact “why” of it all is unclear. She also claimed she suffered “physical assaults,” and wrote on Twitter that she was “terrified of Harmon and him attacking [her].”
#15: Bruce Willis & Cybill Shepherd
“Moonlighting” (1985-89)
In this ABC dramedy, Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd portray detective partners David Addison Jr. and Maddie Hayes. The show was an enormous success, and boosted both of their careers greatly. But even though it did fantastic things for them, that doesn’t mean they always enjoyed the experience. Shepherd has revealed that the two were “attracted to each other” and even made out on one occasion. But she has also repeatedly claimed that they argued all the time, even telling Entertainment Weekly that they “hated each other.” Thankfully, there doesn’t seem to be any remaining bad blood. Shepherd did have this to say in Willis’s 2018 roast, though: [SB: “I know we haven’t had a conversation in 30 years, but we’ll always have something more important - residuals”].
#14: Kiefer Sutherland & Freddie Prinze Jr.
“24” (2001-10; 2014)
Freddie Prinze Jr. was brought onto “24” in its eighth and then-final season (not counting “Live Another Day”), playing Director of Field Operations Cole Ortiz. But what could have been the role of a lifetime ended up becoming a living nightmare for the actor. Prinze Jr. told ABC News that his time on “24” was “terrible” and that Sutherland “was the most unprofessional dude in the world.” He also claims that the whole thing actually made him “[want] to quit the business.” Prinze Jr. has not gone into deeper detail regarding Sutherland’s supposed behavior, so the specifics remain rather elusive.
#13: Jason Alexander & Heidi Swedberg
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“Seinfeld” (1989-98)
Susan Ross is one of the most recurring side characters on “Seinfeld,” appearing in 29 episodes. Susan is an NBC employee who gets the ax due to her romantic association with George and eventually becomes his fiancée. She later passes away after repeatedly licking poisonous envelopes. According to Jason Alexander, this was because working with Swedberg was something of a struggle for him and other cast members. While he has since clarified that it was nothing personal, he notably mentioned that their comedic sensibilities often clashed. Julia Louis-Dreyfus then casually said something about killing Susan off, so that’s exactly what they did.
#12: Stana Katic & Nathan Fillion
“Castle” (2009-16)
“Castle” follows the adventures of a homicide detective and a mystery novel writer in New York City. While the two would eventually grow feelings for each other, their relationship had a rocky beginning, as Katic’s detective was hesitant to work with a writer. This hesitancy perhaps mirrored real life, as Katic and Fillion allegedly couldn’t stand each other when the cameras weren’t rolling. According to an insider who spoke to UsWeekly, Fillion and Katic wouldn’t talk to each other and Katic would often be in tears due to their animosity. Towards the end, the two were apparently even forced into couples’ therapy to work out their issues.
#11: Betty White & Bea Arthur
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“The Golden Girls” (1985-92)
They may have been the Golden Girls, but they certainly weren’t friends... White and Arthur appeared alongside each other on the hit TV show, with White playing the peculiar Rose Nylund and Arthur portraying divorcée Dorothy Zbornak. However, Betty and Bea’s relationship wasn’t nearly as happy as Rose and Dorothy’s. According to Betty White, Bea tended to grow annoyed with her bubbly personality, a behavior Bea’s adopted son attributes to her introversion. Bea’s dislike of Betty apparently grew even worse once Betty won an Emmy, with Bea allegedly angry that Betty won before her. Bea would eventually win the coveted trophy in 1988, two years after Betty White.
#10: William Shatner & Almost Everyone
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“Star Trek: The Original Series” (1966-69)
“Star Trek” is a legendary show. Now let’s make a show about the show, because there are apparently some juicy stories there. Turns out, there was some bickering going on while the cameras weren’t rolling, and star William Shatner was often in the crosshairs. It’s been said that for a time, Shatner was jealous of the attention Leonard Nimoy was getting, and it seems the pair had ups and downs over time. However, details are unconfirmed. Furthermore, Shatner has been dubbed “self-centered” or “self-involved” by different co-workers, and this resulted in tension with the likes of George Takei and James Doohan, to name a few. Some feuds have since reportedly been squashed or tempered, while others, like the one with Takei, persist.
#9: Andy Kaufman & Everyone Else
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“Taxi” (1978-83)
Anyone who knows Andy Kaufman’s style of humor knows that he made for an odd co-worker. Kaufman apparently only appeared in “Taxi” to financially advance his own independent career, and as such, seemingly didn’t give a hoot about its production. And so, concessions were made to accommodate Kaufman’s lack of interest, he would allegedly appear late on a regular basis, and he was disruptive, which angered Tony Danza. Kaufman also insisted that his alter ego, Tony Clifton, be given guest appearances. When they obliged, Kaufman (as Clifton) reportedly brought sex workers to set, caused mayhem, and acted belligerently, angering Judd Hirsch and Jeff Conaway. He was then forcibly removed from the set.
#8: Julianna Margulies & Archie Panjabi
“The Good Wife” (2009-16)
After six seasons portraying investigator Kalinda Sharma, Archie Panjabi left the show to pursue other interests. At the time, there was a rumor floating around that she left due to tension with star Julianna Margulies. The two supposedly didn't even film their final scene together, and production was forced to use a green screen. While Margulies stated that they filmed it like that because Panjabi was busy filming another show, Panjabi took to Twitter to declare, “I was in New York ready to film the scene!” When asked about the feud during a press tour, Panjabi told reporters that the drama would stay on the set of “The Good Wife.” Someone’s lips are sealed.
#7: Teri Hatcher & Pretty Much Everyone
“Desperate Housewives” (2004-12)
One of the four main stars of “Desperate Housewives,” Teri Hatcher portrayed the romantic Susan Mayer. Unfortunately for the rest of the cast, that meant lots of scenes and time with the actress, who was allegedly quite difficult. In terms of the case against her: apparently, Hatcher physically distanced herself from her co-stars when the cameras weren’t rolling, the writers had considered writing Hatcher out of the show, and Nicollette Sheridan once called Hatcher “the meanest woman in the world.” When the cast gave the crew a goodbye gift, everyone but Hatcher signed it, with an inside source telling Celebuzz, “The girls don’t get along with Teri so they organized this and left her out.”
#6: David Duchovny & Gillian Anderson
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“The X-Files” (1993-2002; 2016-18)
They may have played onscreen partners for years, but David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson had some difficulty getting along with each other when the cameras weren’t rolling. The alleged feud goes as far back as 1996, when Duchovny stated, “We don’t hang out. We are very wary of the fact that any moment the other can turn into a psychotic human being.” A testament to their complicated dynamic, he has also referenced their strained relationship while simultaneously defending Anderson as an understanding and talented co-star. While their relationship isn’t as black-and-white as some of the others, there’s about a decade’s worth of tabloids’ reports to substantiate the drama. Thankfully, the reunion seems to have gone smoother.
#5: Isaiah Washington & Patrick Dempsey
“Grey’s Anatomy” (2005-)
There was possible tension between these two actors even before the show began airing. Isaiah Washington had originally auditioned for the role of Derek Shepherd, which ultimately went to Patrick Dempsey. One day, after the two argued about their fellow co-stars being late, Washington reportedly got in Dempsey’s face and grabbed him by the neck, resulting in a violent brawl on-set. After the fight, Washington jokingly told People magazine that he had never been that close to Dempsey before, and that he has “really pretty blue eyes.” Washington was later fired from the show after he supposedly used a homophobic slur towards his co-star, T.R. Knight.
#4: Shannen Doherty & Jennie Garth
“Beverly Hills, 90210” (1990-2000)
According to these rumors, Beverly Hills is not where we want to be. While Shannen Doherty allegedly didn’t get along with Alyssa Milano on the set of “Charmed,” her relationships with her “Beverly Hills” co-stars were seemingly even more toxic. Doherty had quite the reputation on set. A notoriously heavy partier, she was known for regularly showing up late. She would also apparently get into fights, both verbal and physical, with Jennie Garth, who has said that the two “wanted to claw each other’s eyes out.” Doherty left “90210” after only four seasons.
#3: Lea Michele & Most People
Top 10 TV Cast Feuds
“Glee” (2009-15)
Egotistical, narcissistic, self-important, and grandiose: these words perfectly describe “Glee” character Rachel Berry. But according to accounts, Lea Michele wasn’t far off. The story picked up steam in 2020, when actress Samantha Marie Ware claimed that Michele had made “traumatic microaggressions” against her, making her “Glee” experience “a living hell.” While some co-stars have come to Michele’s defense, others have corroborated Ware’s claims over the years. Stars like Heather Morris have indeed claimed that Michele treated others poorly. The late Naya Rivera, for her part, even directly compared Michele to Rachel in her 2016 book “Sorry Not Sorry,” claiming that, like her character, Michele “didn’t like sharing the spotlight.”
#2: Janet Hubert & Will Smith
“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990-96)
If you’ll recall, Aunt Viv was portrayed by two actresses over the course of the show – Janet Hubert and Daphne Maxwell Reid. Hubert left the show at the end of Season 3 because she couldn’t get along with the show’s star, Will Smith. Smith alleges that Hubert was jealous of his success and was nasty towards him as a result. Hubert says that Smith was often inappropriate on set, and, long after her departure, continues to call him an “egomaniac,” among other things. Though she had stated her belief that she would never reconcile with Smith, the two actors reunited and did just that on HBO Max’s “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion.”
#1: Kim Cattrall & Sarah Jessica Parker
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“Sex and the City” (1998-2004)
There were persistent rumors of fights on the set of “Sex and the City” during its production, and things finally came to an undeniable head in 2018 following the death of Cattrall’s brother. After Parker gave her condolences, Cattrall took to Instagram to slam Parker, saying, “Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now. Let me make this VERY clear. You are not my family. You are not my friend.” This is on top of Cattrall telling Piers Morgan that they were never friends. However, Cattrall will return to the “Sex and the City” universe for a cameo in “And Just Like That…”, though she reportedly didn’t interact with the rest of the cast.
