Top 10 Behind-The-Scenes TV Cast Feuds

Top 10 Behind-The-Scenes TV Cast Feuds

There’s a big difference between working together and getting along. Welcome to MsMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 behind-the-scenes TV cast feuds.

For this list, we’ll be looking at highly-publicized and rumored arguments and disagreements between TV cast members and/or crew that happened off-screen.

#10: Bea Arthur & Betty White
“The Golden Girls” (1985-92)

All four of the “Golden Girls” threw plenty of shade onscreen, but off-screen, Bea Arthur and Betty White were more overt in their dislike for one another. It would seem that their respective approaches to both acting and life contrasted with each other, as Arthur was more reserved and demanding, while White is more open and cheerful. With that being said, the consensus is that the tension seemingly only became palpable when White was the first cast member to win an Emmy for the show. It’s been speculated that the feud was a contributing factor to the show coming to an end, and the explanation for Arthur pretty much only cameoing in the short-lived sequel, “The Golden Palace”.

#9: Jamie-Lynn Spears & Alexa Nikolas
“Zoey 101” (2005-08)

While they may have played best friends and roommates on “Zoey 101,” Jamie-Lynn Spears and Alexa Nikolas had a notorious blow up on set. According to rumors, Nikolas made disparaging comments about Spears. Since Spears’ brother Bryan was a co-producer on the show, the argument got back to their famous sister Britney, who reportedly came to Jamie-Lynn’s defense by showing up on-set one day and giving Nikolas a talking to. The general assumption is that Nikolas departed the series after season 2 was as a result of the conflict. When you’re a teen, drama is inevitable; here’s hoping that all parties involved have since moved on, because that sadly can’t be said for some fans.

#8: Charlie Sheen & Chuck Lorre
“Two and a Half Men” (2003-15)

Sometimes some people are just asking for a fight. Charlie Sheen’s very public meltdown, widely linked with drug use, led to him talking trash about “Two and a Half Men” producer Chuck Lorre in multiple interviews. Lorre fired back by, well... firing Sheen. He then caused his character on the show, also named Charlie, to be killed and then mercilessly mocked by everyone at his funeral, played as a ghost by Kathy Bates. He was then revealed to still be alive in the series finale, only for him to immediately be killed off again in a meta gag. Yikes.

#7: Will Smith & Janet Hubert
“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990-96)

Family ties don’t always stay strong, especially when they’re fictional. Janet Hubert played Will Smith’s Aunt Viv on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” but the actress was famously recast halfway through the show. Hubert has been very vocal (even many years later) in her criticism of Smith, both in response to her firing and Smith not supporting her and their cast mates in getting a pay raise. She’s also disparaged him in general. However, given separate accounts from other cast members, Hubert was reportedly rather difficult on-set too; apparently derailing the friendly atmosphere.

#6: Naya Rivera & Lea Michele
“Glee” (2009-15)

There was no shortage of drama on this musical dramedy, but arguably the most famous feud was backstage, between Naya Rivera, who played the show’s resident diva, Santana Lopez, and the show’s female lead, Lea Michele, who played Rachel Berry. However, ironically, it’s the latter who’s been accused of being a diva off-screen, with Rivera, among others, allegedly doing the accusing. Despite both of them denying any feud between them in the past or at least calling some of the rumors exaggerated, Rivera has notably made mention of their disagreements in her book.

#5: Dan Harmon with Chevy Chase & NBC
“Community” (2009-15)

The creator of “Community,” Dan Harmon, had plenty of headaches to deal with during the show’s run. Harmon frequently disagreed with NBC over the direction of the show, to the point where he was eventually fired. While he was hired back after a season’s absence, there was undeniably bad blood between them. Harmon also had a feud on-set as well, as he and Chevy Chase often clashed. While Chase has been accused of having been difficult to deal with, apparently acting almost as outrageously as his character, Harmon was not innocent either; allegedly encouraging the cast and crew to swear at Chase at the wrap party while the actor’s family was present

#4: Julianna Margulies & Archie Panjabi
“The Good Wife” (2009-16)

Sometimes absence makes the heart grow colder. Julianna Margulies and Archie Panjabi may have played friends on “The Good Wife,” but, like their characters, they also became estranged from one another. Unlike Alicia and Kalinda however, there’s no indication that the actresses reconciled. Their dislike for one another hasn’t really been discussed publicly in any sort of explicit way, but the fact that they rarely appeared on-screen together after season 4 speaks volumes. Then there’s the fact that their scene in the finale was shot separately and reportedly with green screen. It seems that these two couldn’t be in the same room by the end of the series.

#3: Shannen Doherty & Jennie Garth
“Beverly Hills 90210” (1990-2000)

Although Shannen Doherty also reportedly had a feud with Alyssa Milano on “Charmed,” we opted to turn back the clock to this ‘90s show for the actress’ dispute with Jennie Garth, because it actually got a happy ending. The two actresses often clashed on the set of “Beverly Hills 90210,” with Garth being quoted as saying they sometimes wanted to “claw each other’s eyes out”, while also citing their long working hours and similar personalities. These days though, the pair are much closer, with Garth supporting Doherty during her fight against cancer.

#2: Katherine Heigl & Shonda Rhimes
“Grey’s Anatomy” (2005-)

This long-running medical drama has had more than its fair share of off-screen drama, but our pick ultimately had to go to the feud between actress Katherine Heigl and showrunner Shonda Rhimes. Since getting her big break on the show, Heigl has become infamous for being something of a diva on-set and her poor relationship with Rhimes may have led to her departure from “Grey’s Anatomy.” A major note of disagreement between them arose when Heigl didn’t submit her name for the Emmys one year, which Rhimes took as a slight against her writing; Heigl has since clarified that she didn’t feel her performances that year merited an award.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Teri Hatcher & Everyone Else
“Desperate Housewives” (2004-12)

David Duchovny & Gillian Anderson
“The X-Files” (1993-2002, 2016-18)

Bruce Willis & Cybill Shepherd
“Moonlighting” (1985-89)

#1: Sarah Jessica Parker & Kim Cattrall
“Sex and the City” (1998-2004)

One of the more infamous and heavily discussed cast feuds in TV history, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall have long been rumored to not get along - be it on-set or otherwise. Though both have at times denied any bad relationship between them, Cattrall has been openly cold towards Parker on social media. And though for her part, Sarah Jessica Parker sticks to the script of there being no bad blood, over a decade’s worth of rumors says otherwise. Which of the rumors are true, and whether it originated because of salaries or one or the other’s behavior, we don’t know for sure, but there’s clearly no love lost here.