Alyssa Milano finally addressed Holly Marie Combs’ claim that she got Shannen Doherty fired from “Charmed.”
Speaking to fans at a “Charmed” panel hosted by MegaCon Orlando this week, the actress — who was not accompanied by any of her former co-stars — began, “I knew this was going to come up in one way or another, and I want to be very thoughtful in how I respond to any of this.”
“I will just say that I’m sad.”
“I don’t think it’s really that I’m sad for me or for my life or how it does or does not affect my life,” Milano, 51, clarified.
“I’m the most sad for the fans. I am the most sad that a show that has meant so much to so many people has been tarnished by a toxicity that is still to this day almost a quarter of a century later still happening.”
“I’m sad that people can’t move past it,” she continued. “I’m sad that we all can’t just celebrate the success of a show that meant so much to all of us.”
The actress went on to acknowledge that the years she filmed the hit series were “hard” for her.
“I have worked super hard in my life in the last 25 years to heal all of my trauma,” she added, “and that’s not just all the trauma that I experienced while shooting but all of my trauma.”
“I’ve worked really hard to heal the bits because I understand that hurt people hurt people and my intention is to be a healed person that helps heal people,” the “Sorry Not Sorry” author went on.
She also said she wishes that she could be on stage with Doherty and Combs, especially because she feels she has apologized for “whatever part [she] played in the situation.”
Wrapping up her statement, she declared, “This is the uncomfortable part that I wish was different. So apologies to all of you who love us anyway.”
The “Who’s the Boss” star received a roaring applause from fans after finishing her reflection of the drama.
After taking some time to reflect on her monologue, Milano shared a new and much longer statement on Instagram Saturday, saying she never had the power to get anyone fired.
“Everything was documented,” she claimed of her time on set. “There was a professional mediator (I was told Holly and Shannen would not participate in any mediation) and an on-set producer/babysitter who were both brought in to investigate all claims.”
“It was then recommended by this mediator, after collecting testimony from cast AND crew—what changes should be made if the show was going to continue.”
“The studio, Aaron Spelling, and network made the decision to protect the international hit that was Charmed.”
She added, “I did not have the power to get anyone fired. once Shannen left we had 5 more successful seasons and I am forever grateful.”
Krista Vernoff, who, per IMDb, was a producer on the show between 2002 and 2003 — after Doherty departed — supported Milano under her post.
“There was a great deal of bullying on that set. And you were not one of the bullies,” she wrote.
“Plain and simple. They can spin it how they want to but it’s spin.”
Her statements came over a month after Combs, 50, appeared on Doherty’s “Let’s Be Clear” podcast and claimed the show’s producer, Jonathan Levin, told her during a private meeting in the early 2000s that Milano had pressured the network into firing the actress.
“‘We were told [by Alyssa] it’s her or [Shannen] and Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment,'” she alleged Levin told her at the time.
“I don’t ever remember being mean to her on set,” Doherty, 52, said in response to Combs’ story.
“I remember an episode I directed where she did something on the Christmas break and they asked me to work around some things with her and I had no problem with it.”
“I couldn’t have been more kind and understanding,” the actress, who starred in the show during its first three seasons, added.
The prior week, the “Beverly Hills, 90210” alum, who was later replaced on the series by Rose McGowan, accused Milano and her family of “blocking people” from visiting Combs after she got surgery in the late ’90s to have a tumor removed.
In 2021, Milano admitted she felt guilt about the tension between her and her former co-star.
“I think a lot of our struggle came from feeling that I was in competition rather than it being that sisterhood that the show was so much about,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2021.
“And I have some guilt about my part in that.”
Milano previously claimed she and Doherty have been in contact over the years, but it’s unclear to what extent.
