It happened over two decades ago but the Charmed feud that split the Power of Three still hangs over the cast of the hit WB fantasy drama. Some 20 years after the drama that transformed the Charmed cast, one party, Holly Marie Combs, received an apology that surprised even her.
The feud in question surrounds the departure of Shannen Doherty, who played eldest Halliwell sister Prue, with Alyssa Milano, who played Phoebe Halliwell, often cited as a driving force behind her exit. Amidst this, actors were dating actors who played the love interest of their co-stars, and this compounded the messiness of the feud, a problem that Brian Krause finally addressed.
Relationships added to just how messy the ‘Charmed’ feud was
As if family trees couldn’t get confusing enough; the interpersonal relationships between the Charmed crew adds a whole other layer of complexity. Doherty, Milano, and Combs all played sisters who had various romantic partners. Milano’s Phoebe had a famous—and infamous—relationship with half-demon Cole Turner, played by Julian McMahon.
Meanwhile, Piper, played by Combs, courted Krause’s Leo the Whitelighter.
When the cameras weren’t rolling, however, McMahon dated Doherty, and Krause was for a time in a relationship with Milano. The Who’s the Boss actress reportedly “documented every time she felt uncomfortable on set” and had built a case against Doherty and Combs. Combs claims she could recall no “harsh words” exchanged on set, yet producers were allegedly presented with an ultimatum: it was Milano or Doherty.
Brian Krause issues an apology to Holly Marie Combs for what she endured throughout the ‘Charmed’ feud
The fallout of this feud, however things happened behind the scenes, saw Doherty leave after season three, to be replaced by Rose McGowan as Paige Matthews. Production continued and Charmed lasted for eight seasons.
Film producer Trae Briers, who worked on Charmed for multiple seasons, claims to have seen no tension at all while on set. On Instagram, he insisted,“I will be the first to say @milano_alyssa was the most respectful and truly cool person on that set!!! Was the only one that actually spoke to everyone like a human being and I NEVER saw any of that s—t that’s been said about her on that set!!!”
Krause, boyfriend to Milano while his character courted Combs’s Piper, addressed it in his own way.
“Brian and she were dating at the time when this all went down,” recalled Combs, speaking on Doherty’s Let’s Be Clear podcast last winter, “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 over months.”
“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 went on. “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.’ And I was like, ‘Sorry for what?’ I was like, ‘Are you going somewhere? What’s happening?’” she said. “He just shook his head, and he goes, ‘I’m so sorry.’ Because we had talked a little about it onstage without talking about it. Because still no one was allowed to talk about it.”
When they got off stage, Krause set time aside to reiterate to Combs, “I’m so sorry. That must have been a terrible time for you.”
Hearing this story, Doherty mused, “I mean, it took him like 24 years, but better late than never,” to which Combs agreed, “Better late than never.”
