Inside Shannen Doherty And Alyssa Milano's Tense Relationship

Nearly 15 years after the series ended, Charmed still inspires conversation about what really went down on the set. The series went through a number of casting shake-ups with Alyssa Milano brought on to replace Lori Rom after an unaired pilot, joining Holly Marie Combs and Shannen Doherty as the three Halliwell sisters. However, after three seasons, Doherty was out and Rose McGowan was cast as a new, third half-sister to keep the same dynamic.

While McGowan and Milano have been pretty open about their issues with each other, both taking to Twitter in 2020 to feud, Doherty kept her experiences a bit vaguer, usually mentioning some "drama" happened on set, but declining to name names. Perhaps because of her seemingly choosing the high road, people have been asking for a decade-and-a-half what exactly happened between Doherty and Milano and the rest of the cast, and whether they're on better (or good?) terms today.

Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty starred alongside Holly Marie Combs for three seasons on the WB's Charmed. The relationships between the three women seemed to be going well; Combs and Doherty were even bridesmaids at Milano's 1999 wedding, according to E! News. By 2001, however, it was a different story.

When the news came that Doherty was leaving Charmed, rumors swirled that it was due to drama between her and Milano — rumors Doherty did not confirm, but certainly did not deny. Doherty told Entertainment Tonight in 2001, "There was too much drama on the set, and not enough passion for the work." Adding fuel to the rumors, Doherty went out of her way to talk about how much she appreciated co-star Holly Marie Combs, saying, "I'll miss Holly a lot, and, you know, that's really the only thing I want to clear up. She is one of my best friends and I love her dearly," while declining to mention Milano at all.

In an interview with TV Guide ahead of the show's fourth season, Milano explained her side of the story. "We definitely didn't get along... Shannen and I are very different people," Milano said. "There were times where I'd come in and say, 'Good morning, Shannen,' and she didn't say anything to me. And there were times where she'd come in and say, 'Good morning, Alyssa,' and I wouldn't say anything to her."

Although Shannen Doherty and Alyssa Milano have publicly feuded in the past, the two actresses seem to be on much better terms today. Milano told E! News in 2017, "Shannen and I talk a lot on Twitter via [direct message]," apparently putting their beef behind them. "I spoke to her maybe two or three days ago, and we decided that we're going to get together. The date has not been set yet, but yes!"

Milano said that everything that happened between them was long enough in the past that it was now "irrelevant," telling E!, "I think what she has gone through, [and] motherhood in my life, it just changed people," referencing Doherty's battle with breast cancer, which was diagnosed in 2015 and returned as stage 4 in 2020. Milano also shared an Instagram post in 2020 in light of the cancer's resurgence, writing, "Holding you tight in my heart."

While the two may never be the best of friends, it seems they have put the past behind them and come together in Doherty's time of need.