Roseanne Barr was quickly fired from her #1 sitcom after getting caught in a sick racist rant back in May — but believe it or not, she’s not the first star to turn comedy into a tragedy! Check out all the other celebrities who were hit with wild scandals behind the laughter, and then click here for the TV dramas that axed stars behind the scenes…
Wild Sitcom Scandals That Got Big Stars Fired
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Mackenzie Phillips
MACKENZIE PHILLIPS was fired from the '70s sitcom One Day at a Time over drug use — after producers even gave her a two-week break to consider seeking treatment. Of course, costars like Valerie Bertinelli couldn't have guessed Mackenzie was also caught in an incestuous relationship with her sicko dad John Phillips, of The Mamas & The Papas fame. Peter Marshall also recalled Mackenzie often "passed out on the couch" between Hollywood Squares tapings.
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Cindy Williams
CINDY WILLIAMS didn't talk to Penny Marshall for two seasons of Laverne & Shirley, with the feuding stars literally timing how many minutes each actress was given on the show. The hit sitcom finally sent Shirley Feeney off just two episodes into the final season — with the pregnant actress complaining: "They had me working on my due date!" She later sued the producers for $20 million and settled out of court.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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Julie McCullough
JULIE McCULLOUGH was supposed to help Kirk Cameron's character of Mike Seaver grow up on Growing Pains — with plans for a wedding on the show in 1989. Instead, the very religious star flipped out after learning about Julie's centerfold for Playboy. The wedding was off, and Julie's character was quickly written off the show.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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Selma Blair
SELMA BLAIR knew there could be trouble when she signed on to costar with Charlie Sheen — who was launching a new sitcom in 2013 after having finally been fired from Two and a Half Men. Sheen reportedly became convinced that Selma was mocking his work ethic on the set. His character was suddenly without a love interest, as producers said goodbye to Selma while wishing her "the very best."
Photo credit: Getty Images
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Janet Hubert
JANET HUBERT created scandals after being replaced as Aunt Viv on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — by fuming over Daphne Maxwell Reid taking over the role. She later slammed Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro (who played Carlton) after he posted a pic of his old castmates getting together. "The media hoe Alphonso Ribero [sic] has posted his so-called reunion photo," she wrote. "He was always the a$$wipe for Will."
Photo credit: Getty Images
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Sasha Mitchell
SASHA MITCHELL was a rising star when he joined his old Dallas costar Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers in the '90s sitcom Step by Step. His goofball character couldn't get laughs after Sasha was arrested on domestic assault charges in 1996, though. He later did jail time after skipping counseling classes and community service hours. That didn't interfere with filming since Sasha had been written off the show.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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Suzanne Somers
SUZANNE SOMERS had a classier exit from the scandalous sitcom Three's Company — getting gradually replaced after battling for a big increase in her salary. Her character of Chrissy spent a few episodes being filmed on the phone while away from her roommates before finally being kicked out of the Hacienda Palms Apartments for good. "Getting fired for asking for a raise wasn't fair," she later complained, "but I landed on my feet."
Photo credit: Getty Images
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Valerie Harper
VALERIE HARPER found fame as Rhoda Morgenstern, but things were a lot tougher when she played suburban mom Valerie Hogan on Valerie. Her character was abruptly killed off after a salary dispute in 1987. The second season became Valerie's Family, and the show eventually brought in Sandy Duncan to star in The Hogans. Valerie later won a lawsuit against the producers, saying: "It's so nice to see 'wrongfully fired' after all I've seen is 'fired, fired, fired!'"
Photo credit: Getty Images
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Lisa Bonet
LISA BONET is having the last laugh after being fired from A Different World by her TV dad Bill Cosby — who was reportedly outraged over her insistence on sexy outfits, plus a torrid big-screen sex scene in 1987's Angel Heart. Cosby finally had enough when Lisa became pregnant with her daughter Zoe. Lisa was allowed some guest turns on Cosby, but later mocked her mentor's "sinister" energy.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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Dana Plato
DANA PLATO had struggled with addictions throughout the run of Diff'rent Strokes in the '80s — but she wasn't fired until producers found out that she was pregnant. The tragic actress went on to a series of scandals, including being busted for holding up a video store in Las Vegas. Her final episode of the show had her character battling anorexia, which was another personal crisis for the doomed star.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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Erinn Hayes
ERINN HAYES was only one season into Kevin Can Wait when Kevin James decided to bring back Leah Remini as his TV foil — so he simply killed off Erinn's character. The show didn't even bother with a cause of death when the show returned for a final season in 2017. “CBS promised to treat Donna’s exit with ‘dignity and respect,’” said an insider, “but the transition was a train wreck!”
Photo credit: Getty Images
Mackenzie Phillips
MACKENZIE PHILLIPS was fired from the '70s sitcom One Day at a Time over drug use — after producers even gave her a two-week break to consider seeking treatment. Of course, costars like Valerie Bertinelli couldn't have guessed Mackenzie was also caught in an incestuous relationship with her sicko dad John Phillips, of The Mamas & The Papas fame. Peter Marshall also recalled Mackenzie often "passed out on the couch" between Hollywood Squares tapings.
Cindy Williams
CINDY WILLIAMS didn't talk to Penny Marshall for two seasons of Laverne & Shirley, with the feuding stars literally timing how many minutes each actress was given on the show. The hit sitcom finally sent Shirley Feeney off just two episodes into the final season — with the pregnant actress complaining: "They had me working on my due date!" She later sued the producers for $20 million and settled out of court.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Julie McCullough
JULIE McCULLOUGH was supposed to help Kirk Cameron's character of Mike Seaver grow up on Growing Pains — with plans for a wedding on the show in 1989. Instead, the very religious star flipped out after learning about Julie's centerfold for Playboy. The wedding was off, and Julie's character was quickly written off the show.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Selma Blair
SELMA BLAIR knew there could be trouble when she signed on to costar with Charlie Sheen — who was launching a new sitcom in 2013 after having finally been fired from Two and a Half Men. Sheen reportedly became convinced that Selma was mocking his work ethic on the set. His character was suddenly without a love interest, as producers said goodbye to Selma while wishing her "the very best."
Photo credit: Getty Images
Janet Hubert
JANET HUBERT created scandals after being replaced as Aunt Viv on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — by fuming over Daphne Maxwell Reid taking over the role. She later slammed Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro (who played Carlton) after he posted a pic of his old castmates getting together. "The media hoe Alphonso Ribero [sic] has posted his so-called reunion photo," she wrote. "He was always the a$$wipe for Will."
Photo credit: Getty Images
Sasha Mitchell
SASHA MITCHELL was a rising star when he joined his old Dallas costar Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers in the '90s sitcom Step by Step. His goofball character couldn't get laughs after Sasha was arrested on domestic assault charges in 1996, though. He later did jail time after skipping counseling classes and community service hours. That didn't interfere with filming since Sasha had been written off the show.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Suzanne Somers
SUZANNE SOMERS had a classier exit from the scandalous sitcom Three's Company — getting gradually replaced after battling for a big increase in her salary. Her character of Chrissy spent a few episodes being filmed on the phone while away from her roommates before finally being kicked out of the Hacienda Palms Apartments for good. "Getting fired for asking for a raise wasn't fair," she later complained, "but I landed on my feet."
Photo credit: Getty Images
Valerie Harper
VALERIE HARPER found fame as Rhoda Morgenstern, but things were a lot tougher when she played suburban mom Valerie Hogan on Valerie. Her character was abruptly killed off after a salary dispute in 1987. The second season became Valerie's Family, and the show eventually brought in Sandy Duncan to star in The Hogans. Valerie later won a lawsuit against the producers, saying: "It's so nice to see 'wrongfully fired' after all I've seen is 'fired, fired, fired!'"
Photo credit: Getty Images
Lisa Bonet
LISA BONET is having the last laugh after being fired from A Different World by her TV dad Bill Cosby — who was reportedly outraged over her insistence on sexy outfits, plus a torrid big-screen sex scene in 1987's Angel Heart. Cosby finally had enough when Lisa became pregnant with her daughter Zoe. Lisa was allowed some guest turns on Cosby, but later mocked her mentor's "sinister" energy.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Dana Plato
DANA PLATO had struggled with addictions throughout the run of Diff'rent Strokes in the '80s — but she wasn't fired until producers found out that she was pregnant. The tragic actress went on to a series of scandals, including being busted for holding up a video store in Las Vegas. Her final episode of the show had her character battling anorexia, which was another personal crisis for the doomed star.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Erinn Hayes
ERINN HAYES was only one season into Kevin Can Wait when Kevin James decided to bring back Leah Remini as his TV foil — so he simply killed off Erinn's character. The show didn't even bother with a cause of death when the show returned for a final season in 2017. “CBS promised to treat Donna’s exit with ‘dignity and respect,’” said an insider, “but the transition was a train wreck!”
Photo credit: Getty Images
