Although we love hearing about how well the cast of a movie or tv series gets along, it is the notorious Hollywood fueds that catch our attention in the headlines. The more successful a series becomes, the more opportunities there are for inflated egos and rivalries to emerge.
Between unreasonable demands, selfish diva behaviors, or even poor work ethic, epic on-set feuds are bound to happen. Some onscreen friends and couples project amazing chemistry onscreen but secretly loathe each other when the cameras stop rolling.
In the most extreme cases, however, one star must be sacrificed for the remaining cast to be successful. Moreover, the actors who get “voted off the island” have to deal with the aftermath of those behind-the scene conflicts and may be haunted by them for some time.
In this article, we want to take a look at some of the infamous on-set feuds that led to one actor getting the boot. In some cases, the stars have resolved their issues and are friends again. In most cases, however, the bitter rivalry continued for years to come and may still exist even today.
From conflicting divas to salacious scandals, here are 15 Actors That Got Their Co-Stars Fired.
John Stamos and The Olsen Twins
For 80s kids, the TGIF block of programming on ABC dominated our Friday nights. Full House became one of the most popular shows during the block and made the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen instant stars. The two actresses shared the role of the adorable Michelle Tanner, the youngest member of the family. Fans watched the girls grow up onscreen for over eight years.
Although it is hard to imagine the show without them, they were actually once fired and replaced. Why? Because actor John Stamos (who played Uncle Jesse) couldn’t stand working with them! Stamos shared with People.com that, “It’s sort of true that the Olsen twins cried a lot…It was very difficult to get the shot. So I [said], ‘Get them out …!’ That is actually 100 percent accurate. They brought in a couple of unattractive redheaded kids. We tried that for a while and that didn’t work. [Producers] were like, all right, get the Olsen twins back. And that’s the story.”
Can you believe we were almost denied the Olsen twins adorably delivering their classic (yet overused) “You got it, dude” line? Yeah, we can’t either...
Charlie Sheen and Selma Blair
It’s ironic that Charlie Sheen would actually get an actor kicked off a show considering the same thing happened to him. After getting the boot from Two & A Half Men, Sheen returned to television heading his own show Anger Management.
Premiering in 2012, the show’s cast included Hellboy alum Selma Blair, who played his colleague and friend-with-benefits. However, Sheen’s bad behavior, which contributed to his dismissal from Two & A Half Men, continued to haunt him on his new show.
Blair was quite vocal about his work ethic, and Sheen was not having that. He threatened to quit the show if she remained a part of the cast. Sheen got his way, and Blair was let go after starring in 54 episodes. After her departure, the show continued until 2014 when it was canceled after its 100th episode.
Kevin James and Erinn Hayes
The onscreen chemistry between Kevin James and Leah Remini was the driving force behind their comedy The King of Queens. For nine seasons, fans tuned in to enjoy the entertaining banter and bards exchanged between the husband and wife team.
With his second major venture into the sitcom world, Kevin Can Wait, James was paired with actress Erinn Hayes. However, after a guest appearance by Remini in the season 1 finale, their old chemistry was reignited. Surprising, it was announced that Hayes would be leaving the show with her character killed off in the plot.
At the same time, Remini was announced to become a series regular beginning in season 2. Though Variety reported that her firing was “a matter of the show going in a different creative direction, and not a reflection of the actress’ performance,” the coincidental hiring is very hard to ignore.
America Ferrera and Lindsey Lohan
The tumultuous career of Lindsey Lohan has played out in the tabloids for years. Once a promising child star, she fell into the stereotypical traps of drugs, alcohol and constant visits to rehab. Her self-destructive behavior led to massive delays in motion picture filming schedules and the loss of many potential roles.
After a failed attempted to revamp her child star image with I Know Who Killed Me, Lohan tried her luck at making a comeback on TV. Her guest appearance on wildly popular series Ugly Betty was promoted everywhere. However, her planned guest appearance was cut from six episodes to four episodes when rumors swirled that series lead America Ferrera clashed with Lohan over her constant lateness and unprofessional behavior.
According to People, “Lohan and her people were so destructive that her dressing room had to be repainted. Lohan also refused to go on set before Ferrera did.” However, Lohan’s friend disputed this fact claiming “America was mean to Lindsay. Producers give her too much power. Lindsay didn’t do the last two episodes because America didn’t like her and got her kicked off.”
Sly Stallone and Bruce Willis
The Expendables franchise brought together some of the biggest action stars in modern movie history. With the first film written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, the cast included Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and Bruce Willis. The Die Hard franchise megastar appeared in both The Expendables and The Expendables 2. Sadly, his conflicts with Stallone led to him being kicked out of the third film.
Stallone made the announcement via a series of tweets in 2013. He tweeted “WILLIS OUT… HARRISON FORD IN !!!! GREAT NEWS !!!!! Been waiting years for this!!!!” A few minutes later, he followed with a somewhat vague message saying “GREEDY AND LAZY …… A SURE FORMULA FOR CAREER FAILURE. Coincidence?”
Okay, just kidding, not very vague at all. There were also rumors that Willis had demanded upwards of $1 million per day for the sequel. Since the initial falling out, the two stars have resolved their conflict and are back on friendly terms.
Bill Cosby and Lisa Bonet
The Cosby Show was one of the great American sitcoms of the 1980s. Viewers followed the daily lives of the Huxtables, an upper middle-class African-American family of seven. They found humor, positivity and life lessons in their everyday situations. Clean, wholesome entertainment at its best. So when actress Lisa Bonet began to act out in real life, show creator Bill Cosby was not amused.
After being moved to a more mature role in A Different World, a comedy chronicling her college life, Bonet accepted a part in the risqué psychological thriller Angel Heart. Bonet was seen nude in not only this movie but also a spread for Interview magazine. She followed this non-Huxtable behavior with a whirlwind marriage to rock star Lenny Kravitz at age 20. After announcing her pregnancy a year later, she was pulled from A Different World to avoid the main character of the show being depicted as a teenaged mother.
However, her rebellious nature was slowly crumbling her relationship with Cosby over the years. After a brief return to The Cosby Show after the birth of her daughter Zoe, she was inevitably fired in 1991 over “creative differences”.
Will Smith and Janet Hubert
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air quickly become one of the most watched and beloved sitcoms of the '90s. Who doesn’t know the words to the theme song by heart?
While the show portrayed a loving and close extended family every week, the off-screen feud between Will Smith and Janet Hubert became the real plotline of the show. The problems started after Hubert became pregnant which, according to NBC, violated her contract and led to her dismissal.
Smith has also started that Hubert’s demands became very unreasonable. In Jet Magazine, Smith stated, “I can say straight up that Janet Hubert wanted the show to be ‘The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air Show'. No matter what, to her I'm just the AntiChrist."
In response to Smith’s accusations of her behavior, Hubert replied “He probably is responsible for my firing. He has a lot of clout. It's-too bad that it's a Black-on-Black attack. He has gotten me fired from the show and now he is trying to snatch my career away from me (with his recent comments). I reprimanded him constantly for being rude to problem and locking himself up in his room...” To this day, the two stars have never resolved their issues.
Tori Spelling and Shannen Doherty
Poor Shannen Doherty. She has gained a infamous reputation for being fired from hit TV shows. For her first entry on this list, we begin with the show that brought her national recognition: the '80s classic teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210. The series followed the lives of the Walsh family as they moved from Minneapolis to Beverly Hills.
Starring as Brenda Walsh, Doherty's character later befriended several Beverly Hills High students, including Donna Martin (played by Tori Spelling). The series became quite a hit after its initial season, however, with the increased popularity came inflated egos. Doherty and Spelling began clashing on set constantly, adding additional drama to the production of the show. Considering Tori's father, Aaron Spelling, was the producer on the show, it's easy to believe he had a hand in Doherty's dismissal.
According to EW, Doherty was let go due to “a surprise haircut” that disrupted the “continuity of the episode”. Considering she could have easily donned a wig to fix the problem, we are so not buying this story.
Lucy Liu and Bill Murray
The Charlie's Angels remake brought together fans of the old series and a whole new generation. Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu headed the reboot with a youthful energy that audiences loved. Although the actresses got along swimmingly, Liu and Ghostbusters alum Bill Murray could not cordially work together.
Behind-the-scenes tensions grew between the two stars to the point of physical altercations. According to USWeekly, “Bill Murray reportedly told Lucy Liu, ‘You can’t act.’ Then, Liu allegedly started throwing punches at the actor and they had to be physically pulled apart.”
Allegedly, Liu angrily demanded that Murray not return to the sequel. Though Murray later disputed these rumors, ultimately, he was not brought back for the sequel. The late Bernie Mac took over as Bosley in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.
Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty
On to round two of Shannen Doherty vs. another co-star! After the drama of Beverly Hills, 90210, you would think Doherty would avoid the Spelling family. However, she found herself cast as the eldest daughter Pue Halliwell of the supernatural series Charmed, produced by Aaron Spelling.
Co-starring with Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs, the three actresses achieved a cult following after the first season. The behind-the-scenes drama erupted between Milano and Doherty as the popularity of the show grew. According to TV Guide, “Rumors quickly swirled that Doherty was resentful of Milano's growing popularity, which translated into several endorsement deals.” By season three, the actresses were no longer on friendly terms and only spoke to each other when necessary.
The feud came to its apex when, according to Doherty, “Milano eventually got fed up and issued producers an ultimatum—either Doherty walked or she would.” However, Milano refuted this claim stating that Doherty asked to be let out of her contract. By the conclusion of season three, Doherty was out and killed off of the show. Doherty – 0, Angry Co-Stars-2.
Sharon Osbourne and Leah Remini
Morning talk shows like The View and The Talk are known for having a “revolving door” policy when it comes to their hosts. Whether a reflection of the audience’s’ preferences or behind-the-scene issues, many hosts have been unceremoniously kicked off.
In the case of Leah Remini’s firing from The Talk, her problems stemmed from fellow host Sharon Osbourne. Premiering in season 1 of the show, Remini delivered very blunt honesty and demonstrated a very laid-back style of conversation. However, according to Remini, this was not to Osbourne’s liking. Both she and fellow host Holly Robinson-Peete were released after one season for a peculiar reason.
In a post on her Twitter page, Remini shared that “Sharon thought me and Holly were 'ghetto'. . . we were not funny, awkward and didn't know ourselves. She has the power that was given to her." However, Osbourne has denied these claims stating she has “never been in the position to hire or fire anyone on the show.” The two actresses have not spoken since the firing.
LisaRaye McCoy and Stacey Dash
Many of these firing stories are peppered with conflicting stories of what really went down on set. In the case of the feud between LisaRaye McCoy and Stacey Dash, however, the story has stayed pretty consistent: McCoy had Dash fired... period!
During the first season of the VH1 series Single Ladies, the two actresses clashed on everything, which led to McCoy taking action. She admitted to having a hand in getting her fired before the start of the second season. In an interview with Vibe, she stated, “In Hollywood, I’ve learned to be a boss,” she said. “I had to say to Stacey Dash, ‘If you don’t get your motherf**king finger out of my face…’ So for our second season of Single Ladies, there was a replacement for Stacey Dash.”
Kirk Cameron and Julie McCullough
The sitcom Growing Pains was another '80s series depicting wholesome family values. The series turned Kirk Cameron into a household name and became his most recognized television role. As Cameron rose as a popular teen idol, his personal life was often spotlighted in teen magazines and publications across the country.
Previously an atheist, Cameron made headlines when, at the age of 17, he announced he was a born-again Christian. After converting to Christianity, the star insisted that the future storylines of the show weren’t risqué or portrayed anything that would conflict with his beliefs.
Unfortunately for actress Julie McCullough (who played Cameron’s girlfriend), her Playboy centerfold past became an issue. McCullough was kicked off of the show at the demand of Cameron after starring in only eight episodes.
Sly Stallone and Richard Gere
Back in the 1970s, Hollywood heavyweights Sylvester Stallone and Richard Gere were set to star in the low-budget drama The Lords of Flatbush.
Still relatively new to the movie business, the fresh-faced actors began rehearsals for the film with detrimental results. The actors clashed constantly on set resulting in frequent fights and arguments. The two even got into a physical fight over Gere spilling grease on Stallone’s pants!
In the end, Stallone asked for Gere to be released from the film. According to IMDB.com, Stallone recalled, “The director had to make a choice: one of us had to go, one of us had to stay. Richard was given his walking papers and to this day seriously dislikes me.”
The Rocky actor has even been accused of starting the infamous Richard Gere/Gerbil urban legend. That is one way to get payback!
Warren Beatty and Sean Young
The motion picture adaptation of the comic strip Dick Tracy was one of the most stylistically original films of the 1990s. Set in the bold colors of the original 1930s comic strip, actor Warren Beatty (along with some very heavy promotions and tie-ins) made the film a blockbuster.
Beatty had the unique task of not only starring as the lead but also directing and producing the film. Originally, he cast Blade Runner star Sean Young to play his love interest, Tess Truehart. However, Young was kicked out of the movie after one week in favor of actress Glenne Headly.
According to Young, she lost the role because she rebuffed Beatty’s sexual advances. Beatty denied the harassment claim and, instead, told reporters, “I made a mistake casting Sean Young in the part and I felt very badly about it.”
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Do you know of any other actor who got their co-stars fired? Sound off in the comments!