“We got off stage, and he just looked at me and said, ‘I’m so sorry. That must have been a terrible time for you,'” Combs said while tearfully remembering the apology she got from co-star, Brian Krause.
Holly Marie Combs is opening up about her relationship with Charmed co-stars, Alyssa Milano and Brian Krause.
During part two of iHeartRadio’s Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty podcast, Combs revealed that she never wanted to do the show without Shannen Doherty, who left at the end of season three, or as Combs claims, was ousted following her feud with Milano.
While Doherty had her own drama with Milano, which she discussed in part one of the podcast, Combs was impacted by the feud as well, facing alienation and abandonment on a set that saw her fellow leading ladies coupled up, and the Halliwell sisters ultimately disbanding.
“You know, Brian and she were dating at the time when this all went down, which, to me, us being completely oblivious, to me was the worst part. Where, it was all sort of part of this plan that was happening and unfolding through over months. It was months of that year,” Combs said, looking back on her strained relationship with her Charmed castmates. “You were dating Julian [McMahon, who played half-demon Cole Turner]. So you guys were off in that world. Brian was off with Alyssa.”
Combs revealed that it was just a year ago that she got an apology from Krause for what she experienced both on and off set as the divide continued to grow among the trio, telling Doherty, “He just recently — it was about a year ago — in France, we were on stage at a panel that was filled with many, many people, and he just kind of paused.”
She continued, “He looked at me like he forgot something, and I kind of looked at him like, ‘What? What’s the problem? Why are you looking at me like that? And he just looked at me while someone was asking a question and just went, ‘I’m so sorry.'”
Confused, Combs said she asked him what he was sorry for before getting an explanation and an apology from Krause — one that was 24 years in the marking.
“And I was like, ‘Sorry for what?’ I was like, ‘Are you going somewhere? What’s happening?’ He just shook his head, and he goes, ‘I’m so sorry,'” Combs explained. “Because we had talked a little about it on stage without talking about it. Because still no one was allowed to talk about it.”
The Pretty Liars alum said Krause continued to apologize long after the panel was over.
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Holly Marie Combs Claims Alyssa Milano Gave Ultimatum to Get Shannen Doherty Fired from Charmed
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“And we got off stage, and he just looked at me and said, ‘I’m so sorry. That must have been a terrible time for you,'” she added.
In part one of the podcast, Combs revealed that Doherty didn’t quit the series, as was reported in the time. Instead, she claims the Beverly Hills, 90210 star was fired because Milano gave producers an ultimatum …her or me.
Combs said she went straight to the source, show producers Jonathan Levin, in the early 2000s to find out the real story behind Doherty’s departure.
“He said, ‘We didn’t mean to, but we’ve been backed into this corner. We’re basically in this position where it’s one or the other,'” said Combs. “‘We were told [by Milano] it’s her or [Doherty] and Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment.'”
Combs further claimed that Milano had been documenting “every time she felt uncomfortable on set,” as if she was building a case against Combs and Doherty. She further said that while there might have been some friction between the ladies, she’d never witnessed anything significant, so it came as a huge surprise.
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Shannen Doherty Claims Alyssa Milano Caused ‘Weird Divide’ Between Her and Holly Marie Combs
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In fact, she said no crew or guest stars or anyone really noticed, so far as she knows. “It was all behind the scenes,” she said. “There’s not a director that wouldn’t work with you again. There’s not a crew member that didn’t have a great time working with you. So by today’s standards, it wouldn’t f–king fly.”
When it came down that Doherty was leaving the show, Combs said she wanted to walk away with her longtime friend. “She didn’t want to do it without me,” Combs recalled saying at the time. “Therefore, I don’t want to do it without her and that should be fairly clear.”
Unfortunately, per Combs, Levin threatened to sue her if she quit the show, which she said felt like “blackmail” at the time, and so she stayed as McGowan came on the show. Combs would remain with the show alongside Milano and McGowan until its conclusion after eight seasons.
TooFab has reached out to Milano’s reps for comment.
