The Power of Three was not working in Shannen Doherty's favor during her stint on "Charmed" — but she certainly had the power of two.
Co-star Holly Marie Combs this week helped confirm a long-suspected rumor about Doherty's exit. And she said she remained firmly in Doherty's corner as the "terribly awkward" drama between Doherty and co-star Alyssa Milano played out.
Doherty, who played the eldest Halliwell sister, Prue, was at odds with Milano, who played the youngest , Phoebe, on the WB drama about three siblings who discover they're witches. While many long believed that Doherty quit the show, she and Combs clarified that she was actually fired from the supernatural series because of Milano — a moment that culminated in Prue's death in the 2001 Season 3 finale. (Doherty was replaced by Rose McGowan, who played long-lost sister Paige for five seasons until the series concluded in 2006.)
Appearing Monday in Part 2 of Doherty's just-launched podcast, "Let’s Be Clear," Combs and the host discussed the tensions and "jealousies" that built up to Doherty's departure, shedding light on the behind-the-scenes drama (and some romance) during filming in the early 2000s. The conversation followed the "Beverly Hills 90210" alum's revelations last week about her strained relationship with Milano stemming from Doherty being the highest-paid actor on the show.
Representatives for Milano did not immediately respond Tuesday to The Times' requests for comment.
Combs, 50, who played time-freezing middle sister Piper in all eight seasons and was credited with being the "glue" of "Charmed," said Monday that she called a meeting with the show's consulting producer, Jonathan Levin, in the early 2000s to figure out why Doherty had been fired from the Aaron Spelling drama. Both lead actors, at various points, had told the network that they wouldn't do the series without the other, an emotional Combs said.
"It was a terribly uncomfortable situation for me, and obviously you saying, 'I'm not going to do the show without her' in the beginning to network and me saying it clearly didn't have the same effect, you know, and so it was terribly awkward for me," Combs said, recalling a point when she was trying to leave the show after personal health issues.
The "Pretty Little Liars" star said she was told that producers didn't mean to fire Doherty but that they had "been backed into this corner" and "basically in a position where it's one or the other."
"We were told [by Alyssa] it’s her or [Shannen], and Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment,'" Combs recalled the producer saying.
"This is not a show I wanted to do without Shannen. She didn’t want to do it without me. Therefore, I don’t want to do it without her and that should be fairly clear," she said she told Levin. She added that he responded to her ultimatum with what "felt like blackmail," threatening to sue Combs if she quit.
Meanwhile, Combs said that Milano had been building a case against the "Heathers" star, allegedly documenting "every time she felt uncomfortable on set" after meeting with a therapist or corporate mediator whom Combs and Doherty refused to meet with. Combs said that because of Doherty's high-profile exit from "90210," she believed her co-star was "preemptively trying to work it out" with Milano on "Charmed."