Why did Shannen Doherty quit the show Charmed? Alyssa Milano controversy explored

Around the turn of the millennium, the WB's fantasy drama Charmed, starring Shannen Doherty, Alyssa Milano, and Holly Marie Combs used to be among the most popular shows on American television. The trio of Halliwell sisters, Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were going strong and had garnered a strong fan following.

However, at the end of season 3, Prue Halliwell, played by Shannen Doherty, got killed off from the show. At that time, there was a big controversy surrounding Doherty's exit. Her decision to leave was reportedly propelled by the on-set and off-set tension between her and co-star Alyssa Milano.

Many years later, Doherty addressed the controversy in her podcast with the other Charmed co-star, Holly Marie Combs, who played Piper Halliwell. Doherty tragically passed away on July 13, 2024

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Shannen Doherty addressed her differences with Alyssa Milano

Shannen Doherty and Alyssa Milano were part of American television's most popular sister trio, including Marie Holly Combs. But their charm did not last as long as the show. Doherty's character was tragically killed on screen. However, the off-screen drama caught more attention than the on-screen drama.

In her podcast with guest Holly Marie Combs in December 2023, Doherty addressed the controversy after 22 years. She mentioned that after a point of time, a weird competitiveness kicked in between her and Alyssa. She also said that she felt a lack of female support, but not from Combs. To which Combs agreed.

She mentioned things getting soured after her cover shoot with a reputed magazine, and there was also competitiveness about trying to pull Marie Combs away from her, which transpired in the second season. She also used the podcast to express that the time during season 2 of the show was extremely rough for her and she cried every night to sleep.

During an appearance at a convention in Orlando, Florida, Milano talked about the issue. Without specifically addressing the allegations, she expressed sadness that "the show has been tarnished by a toxicity that is still to this day almost a quarter of a century later still happening."

“It’s no secret that Shannen and I had a complicated relationship, but at its core was someone I deeply respected and was in awe of.” Milano expressed her grief in a statement to Entertainment Weekly on July 14.

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What happened to Shannen Doherty?

Shannen Doherty died of breast cancer at 53 (Image via IMDb)

Doherty tragically passed away on July 13, 2024, after a long and brave battle with breast cancer. The actress was diagnosed with the disease in 2015, but she went into remission in 2017.

In 2023, she shared that at the beginning of that year, it was found in the scan that the cancer had spread to her brain. Despite her illness, Doherty was incredibly active on social media and was successfully running her podcast called 'Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty'.

In the episode with Holly Marie Combs, she shared that doing the podcast has been therapeutic for her. The last episode of the podcast was uploaded on July 8, 2024, with Combs coming back as the guest.

Many celebrities including Combs and Milano expressed their grief at the tragic passing of the charming actress.

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Shannen Doherty might be gone but her work is still available for people to get inspired. Charmed, starring Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowen, and Brian Krause premiered on October 7, 1998, and ran till May 21, 2006.

In 2018, CW made a reboot series of the same name with a different cast which ran for four seasons till 2022. Viewers can stream all eight seasons of the original series on Amazon Prime Video.