Holly Marie Combs slams ‘Charmed’ producers for firing Shannen Doherty: ‘Sick and twisted’
Combs and Brian Krause discuss Doherty’s exit on a recent Charmed rewatch, recounting how the firing was handled and reflecting on lingering industry tensions.
Holly Marie Combs says she remains devastated by Shannen Doherty's firing from Charmed, detailing her reaction on the latest episode of the show's rewatch podcast The House of Halliwell. The discussion centers on the Season 3 finale All Hell Breaks Loose, which aired in May 2001 and marked Doherty's final appearance on the series, a finale Doherty directed.
Combs described the firing as being handled in a way that was sick and twisted and an insult to injury. She recalled that Doherty was told of the decision by phone after everyone had gone on hiatus, and that Combs herself only learned of the decision from Doherty instead of being informed by the producers. Fellow cast member Brian Krause echoed the sentiment, saying some people in power protect their own image by avoiding the truth, a pattern he said harmed everyone involved. The show would continue for two more seasons with Rose McGowan stepping in after Doherty's departure.
Brad Kern, who was the showrunner at the time, later sent a letter to Doherty apologizing for her firing a couple of years afterward, according to Combs. Combs added that Doherty would have wanted the episode in question to be acknowledged rather than avoided, and she recalled the late actress believing she had delivered a strong directing performance on that installment.
Milano, who rose to fame alongside Doherty and Combs, addressed the firing in a MegaCon Orlando panel in February 2024, denying that she was responsible for Doherty's exit and framing the conflict as part of an ongoing toxic dynamic in the industry. She said the larger issue was trauma from a situation that had followed Doherty for years.
Shannen Doherty died in July 2024 at age 53 after a battle with cancer. In the wake of her death, Milano told The Post that while the relationship between Doherty and the Charmed cast had been complicated, she still respected Doherty as a performer and mourned the loss of her, describing the world as less without her.
The current discussions from Combs and Krause offer a window into a turbulent chapter of the show’s history and reflect broader conversations about how star exits are managed in long-running ensembles. The House of Halliwell discussion underscores how the Charmed legacy remains intertwined with unresolved tensions and the enduring impact of industry decisions on the people involved, decades after the finale of Doherty's era.