Shannen Doherty Wishes She'd Been 'Sat Down' by “90210” Producers amid Marital Issues That Partly Led to Firing
Doherty reflects on her tumultuous years on the teen soap, with costar Jason Priestley admitting he wishes he'd known more about her personal struggles at the time
Shannen Doherty invited Beverly Hills, 90210 costar Jason Priestley to look back on her sudden departure from the hit teen series.
On Monday's episode of her Let's Be Clear With Shannen Doherty podcast, the actress opened up about the personal events that contributed to her behavior at the time and, ultimately, her exit from the series after season 4.
Doherty, 52, admitted to unprofessional demeanor on set in her her final days on 90210, sharing that it had a lot to do with marital problems she was navigating with then-husband Ashley Hamilton, who she alleges — and who has himself since acknowledged — was struggling with drug addiction.
"I was in a really horrible marriage, and there were things that were transpiring in that marriage that made it really hard for me to be on time for work," she explained, acknowledging that her costars often waited for her and worked longer days because she didn't show up to work on time. "And I know that that became a very big problem for the rest of you, as it should be."
Related: Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth 'Wish' Shannen Doherty Would've 'Stayed' on 'Beverly Hills, 90210'
Doherty's character, Brenda Walsh, was written off the show in 1994 after frequent disturbances and interruptions on set. During the show's season 5 premiere, fans found out that Walsh was moving to England to enroll in acting school.
Though she took full accountability for her actions, Doherty confessed she wished producers had pulled her aside to have an honest conversation about her behavior.
"It wasn't anybody's responsibility by mine, but I sort of wish I would have been sat down and sort of looked at and said, 'Listen, the end result is going to be this, you are going to get fired and none of us are willing to put up with it anymore,'" she added. "And I understand that you have an issue in your personal life, but that also can't bleed into work and you need to get your s--- together!"
Related: Shannen Doherty Reveals the Fellow '90s Star Who Played a Key Role in Her Cancer Journey
To the credit of the network executives, the Charmed actress noted she should have been more honest about what was going on in her personal life.
"I don't think anybody knew that my father was super sick, and I don't think anybody knew that my husband was a massive drug addict ... and it was all-consuming for me," she told Priestley, 54. "I didn't even want to leave the house because I was scared that he would go and get drugs."
Related: 'Beverly Hills, 90210' Cast: Where Are They Now?
Priestley admitted that the events leading to Doherty's exit were also difficult for him to see unfolding. Waiting for her to show up on set and the hard conversations he had with producers Aaron Spelling and Paul Wagner had been difficult, but he shared that he wished Doherty had been more transparent about her struggles.
"I could have hopefully managed it with more compassion, and we only knew what we knew," he said. "Of course the hardest thing for me was the show was about Brandon and Brenda, it's about the Walsh family and How is that going to impact the show? and How would we find a path to move forward with the show?"
He added, "So, it was incredibly hard for me and there was so many unknowns, and I wish all of us had more knowledge about what was happening in your life so we could have dealt with your situation in a more compassionate way."
Taking the "blame" for "what transpired and my ultimate firing," Doherty admitted that she "should have had my personal life more together, I should have left a relationship earlier, I shouldn't have been going out."
She continued, "I got definitely affected by the attention, and all of a sudden I could go into a night club and it didn't matter how old I was. I found it all very alluring and seductive. And I fell into that trap, then you add the personal issues."
Doherty and Hamilton were married from 1993 to 1994. She married Rick Salomon in 2002, though the couple split a year later. The actress wed Kurt Iswarienko in October 2011 but filed for divorce in April 2023.
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