TV Friends Who Couldn't Stand Each Other In Real Life

There are countless stories of couples who met on the set of a movie or television show and fell in love, duos who went on to pursue decades of collaboration together, and on-screen friends who became besties in real life. When you play a certain character day in and day out, the lines between roles and real life can become blurred. And when you work for years on a piece of art together, it can create a pretty unique bond.

But in some cases, the lines between reality and fiction — and between two people — only become more starkly defined. Often, the camaraderie and chemistry between two characters ends when the director calls "cut," and sometimes, it even swings to the opposite extreme off-camera. As it turns out, the actors who portrayed some of TV's most beloved friends, to the dismay of fans, actually despised each other.

If anything, though, the real-life tension between these pairs, who not only had to perform together but act like they truly liked and trusted each other, created a proving ground that testified to their acting ability.

The landmark 1950s sitcom "I Love Lucy" starred Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance as best friends and co-conspirators Lucy and Ethel, respectively. However, the two actors had a fair amount of animosity between them, even though they were supposed to play besties on the show. This tension started the moment that Vance walked onto the set.

There was an unspoken rule in "old-school" television that no one should compete with the leading lady in terms of looks. Ethel's character was supposed to be slightly older, with a more middle-aged vibe, and Ball was devastated to see that Vance was young and attractive instead — so much so that the truth about the relationship was that she wanted the new girl fired.

Over time, however, Vance really began to embody her character, and her acting skills won Ball over professionally — just as her friendship eventually won her over in real life. Their rivalry ended up turning into an actual bond, but their relationship was quite rocky at the start.

On the 1998 supernatural drama "Charmed," Phoebe and Paige were played by Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan. Unfortunately, the two had a "toxic AF" relationship, as McGowan later revealed in a Twitter feud (via People) in 2020. She accused Milano of creating a hostile environment on set with "appalling behavior on the daily," and McGowan even went so far as to say she "cried every time [the show] got renewed" because of how difficult her experience was with her co-star.

On the show, Paige and Phoebe have their fair share of differences, but at the end of the day, they save each other's lives and have each other's backs as true friends and sisters would. But on Twitter, the pair really laid into each other. What started as a dispute about politics escalated into McGowan taking on Milano for everything from being a fraud and co-opting McGowan's "Cultural Reset" movement to her salary on "Charmed."

Allegedly, despite what McGowan saw as a high salary, Milano threw a fit on set, saying that she wasn't paid "enough to do this s***!" And McGowan's opposition to Milano's behavior is just one of a few tense relationships that Milano was involved in on the show, one of which led to Shannon Doherty leaving "Charmed."

Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey, who played Dr. Preston Burke and Dr. Derek Shepherd, apparently had a huge fight on the set of "Grey's Anatomy." The tension between the two never really quite dissipated between them, even years later, if Twitter rants are any indication.

On the show, their characters grew to be friends and found their personal lives intertwining on countless occasions, most notably because of the friendship between Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) and Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), each of whom, at one time, dated Dr. Burke and Dr. Shepherd, respectively. In fact, Shepherd even performed surgery on Burke's gunshot wound. (It left Burke's hand with a tremor, but this slight blow to his confidence allowed Shepherd to grow as a surgeon.)

Apparently, though, Washington's hand was in fine shape when he grabbed Dempsey's shirt on set during a violent 2006 confrontation over a co-worker who showed up late. During the fight, multiple onlookers reported that Washington also shouted a homophobic slur at his fellow actor. Taking to Twitter in 2020 (via Us Weekly), Washington did not appear to have gotten over the conflict, even over a decade later. This time, he directed his rage at another co-star, Katherine Heigl, who, in response to Washington's use of the slur and subsequent denial, once said that he should "just not speak in public, period."

In 1995, the fifth series in the "Star Trek" franchise hit American TVs, becoming a success for seven seasons — especially in the realm of gender-balanced casting and the representation of strong female characters. Two of those characters ended up becoming extremely close on "Star Trek: Voyager" — Seven of Nine, played by Jeri Ryan, and Captain Kathryn Janeway, portrayed by Kate Mulgrew.

Seven of Nine arrived on the scene as a foil to Captain Janeway, much as Spock was to Captain Kirk in the original series. From the beginning, their relationship was meant to be a close one in which the two characters played off each other. As the series progressed, the two became confidantes and friends.

In real life, however, the tensions that arose from the arrival of newcomer Ryan in Season 4 incited a tumultuous relationship between the two stars. With the addition of Ryan, the ratings went through the roof, painfully leaving Mulgrew in the (star)dust, according to executive producer Rick Berman. It hurt, and it resulted in an antagonism that persisted through the end of the show. At one point, citing complaints about Seven's notorious skintight costume (which was another element that drew attention from Janeway in favor of the newcomer), Mulgrew tried to prohibit Ryan from going to the bathroom during work hours, saying it took her too long to get out of the costume. Yikes.

In the original "Star Trek" series, William Shatner, known to fans as the famous Captain Kirk, apparently had some significant beef with Leonard Nimoy, who played his first officer and best friend, Mr. Spock. This was allegedly because Nimoy got more fan letters, despite his intended status as a secondary character to Kirk. The Enterprise captain was supposed to be the obvious protagonist and fan favorite, but audiences developed a keen affinity for the pointy-eared science officer. Of course, much of this claim comes from George Takei, who played Sulu and had an even bigger feud with Shatner (who says this fan mail story is made-up).

But even if the conflict over fan letters wasn't part of it, Nimoy and Shatner started off on tense terms, clashing often in the beginning of their professional career in part because Nimoy was so singularly focused on making the most of his moment. Though Shatner went on to describe Nimoy as perhaps his only true friend, this relationship ended shortly before Nimoy's life did. The man who played Spock suddenly cut Shatner out of his life without explanation, and he died before he or Shatner could make amends.

Things aren't always as golden as they may seem, and all of the characters on "Golden Girls" weren't as chummy in real life as they may have appeared on TV. This was particularly true of Beatrice Arthur and Betty White, who portrayed Dorothy and Rose, respectively. It was a distaste primarily on Arthur's part that stemmed from her views on White's work ethic (she loved to chat with the audience between scenes versus remaining stoic and focused), as well as her attitude.

The actress who played the cynical Dorothy was also a bit cynical of White's persona in real life. According to those who have worked with her, White is a pleasant, sunshine-y soul, and that made her pretty popular. Arthur, however, was convinced that her upbeat attitude was all an act. "Sometimes if I was happy, she'd be furious," White recalled in an HLN interview.

While Arthur apparently wouldn't "give Betty the time of day," White, true to her established image, has mostly kind words to say about her former co-star. "You didn't mess with Bea!" she remarked. "Bea was very strong. But you loved her." Even, apparently, if she didn't love you.

Though it seemed like a match made in heaven, the friendship between Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande on "Sam & Cat" (where they each played a titular character) had a lot more ups and downs than the relationship between the two on TV screens. Rife with rumors of conflict from the start, on issues ranging from pay to personality, the show only lasted one season despite attracting a large initial audience.

Following the cancellation of the show after a lengthy production hiatus, McCurdy not only left the program but Nickelodeon itself. She notably skipped an appearance at the 2014 Kids' Choice Awards alongside Grande. And when Grande posted an emotional farewell letter to the cast and crew, it was shocking when she didn't mention McCurdy at all.

Ultimately, the truth about their relationship on "Sam & Cat" was that McCurdy took issue more with the production and her pay than with Grande herself — though she revealed to E! News that they would "butt heads" on set. But according to McCurdy (Grande hasn't commented publicly), these squabbles were more sisterly than anything else. Still, combined with disputes between McCurdy and the showrunners, the extra tension didn't make for a winning formula.

In "Anger Management," Charlie Sheen and Selma Blair played great friends (occasionally with benefits) Charlie Goodson and Dr. Kate Wales. But off-screen, it was quite a different story. Their tense relationship ended with Blair getting fired from the show ... via text message. It's widely agreed that it's inappropriate to deliver bad news or break up via text but firing someone? That's a whole different ball game.

Leading up to the unceremonious ousting was quite a lot of anger. It started when Blair voiced concerns to series executives about Sheen's work ethic. The notoriously volatile star was quite unhappy to see these remarks leaked to the press, giving a decisive ultimatum to the producers: They had to choose between him and Blair.

Of course, as an executive producer and star of the show, it was obvious that Sheen wasn't going to get fired. Blair was supposed to have a pretty significant role on the show too, but obviously nothing that could compete with Sheen's presence — or his anger. Not only did he tell her via text that her days on "Anger Management" were over, he sprinkled in a few tasteless four-letter words to boot.

The relationship between Emily Osment and Miley Cyrus (Lilly and Miley/Hannah on "Hannah Montana," respectively) started out strong, in what Cyrus described as a sisterly bond. In fact, on the screen, they played adoptive sisters, and there are plenty of photos of them palling around off-screen as well. By all accounts, they were as close off-camera as they were on the show.

However, in reality, the relationship between Osment and Cyrus was something of a roller coaster, as we saw more clearly when Miley published her autobiography, "Miles to Go," in 2009 — a mere year after she described Osment as a sister. In the book, Cyrus reflected on how unfortunate it was that the two of them "used to be friends" in real life but couldn't get along the way their characters did on set.

Years later, it seems the roller coaster hit another peak, as the two caught up with each other virtually during the pandemic and reminisced about their friendship. They're certainly not as close as they once were, but hey, things aren't quite as contentious either.

Grace and Karen were close friends on "Will and Grace," but the actors who portrayed them, Debra Messing and Megan Mullally, were apparently anything but. While the last few episodes were filming in 2019, Mullally missed two episodes, reportedly due to on-set tension. Mullally later opened up on her husband Nick Offerman's podcast about the fact that she was being "bullied" at work. Were the two incidents connected?

The description of the "bullying" situation aligned suspiciously with the alleged feud between herself and Messing — one involving a "work situation" in which she stood up for herself and made things "a thousand times worse," according to Closer Weekly. She also noted that it was an ongoing and current situation in January 2020, and "Will and Grace" was her only regular engagement at that time.

Mullally also ditched a cast interview with Messing in 2020, ahead of the series finale. Her leave of absence from the show coincided with her unfollowing both Messing and fellow "Will and Grace" actor Sean Hayes on social media, the latter of whom Mullally had always publicly gotten along well with. On Offerman's podcast, she hinted at the drama behind this choice and her minimal interaction with the cast. "I'm pretty much on my own," she revealed, explaining that the alleged bully had recruited many of her former allies to their side, leaving Mullally without the support she once had.

Like the on-again, off-again friends they portrayed on "Glee," Naya Rivera and Lea Michele had a bit of a rocky relationship. Rivera played Cheerios cheerleading captain and Glee Club member Santana Lopez, while Michele appeared in the role of the ambitious and talented Glee Club captain Rachel Berry.

On the show, Rachel and Santana began as bitter rivals. But over multiple periods of tension and reconciliation, they developed a reputation for their on-and-off friendship, with the two living together in New York City and demonstrating genuine care for one another.

Things couldn't have been further from the truth in real life. In 2014, a fight on the set resulted in one of them getting thrown off or storming out, according to reports. Either way, Rivera's character ended up being written out of the "Glee" finale. Later, she revealed on "Watch What Happens Live" (via Digital Spy) that their relationship got so bad that they didn't speak for the whole of Season 6. Their personalities, she said, were "not a good mixture." However, after Rivera's tragic death, Michele paid tribute to her co-star by posting a photo of her on Instagram, alongside a pic of her late partner and fellow "Glee" co-star Cory Monteith.

The names "Mulder and Scully" are synonymous with the idea of an iconic duo, but by the time "The X-Files" finished airing, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny reportedly couldn't stand the sight of each other. While Duchovny initially had positive things to say about his co-star, the relationship deteriorated over the course of a series of public comments by the two actors.

At one point, Duchovny admitted that not only did he and Anderson not socialize regularly, but sometimes the attitude on set amounted to, as he put it, "I'd rather be anywhere else but here, and I'm going to make you suffer for it!" That's a pretty dismal revelation, and it wasn't the only one. After the show ended, Duchovny confirmed to Metro that the two were sick of each other by the time the series ended, saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt."

The two actors had an undeniable spark from the start, but sometimes a spark can turn into a difficult-to-control fire. Anderson described long periods of their intense relationship in which the two refused to speak to each other, and often when they were speaking, Duchovny revealed, the two would just "argue about nothing."

Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) and mystery novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) were great friends and star-crossed lovers on ABC's "Castle," but in real life, the conflict between them grew so tense that eventually Katic left the show — a show where their characters actually got married in the sixth season!

It must have been a nightmare to work so closely together while harboring such animosity, particularly for Stana Katic. Allegedly, she would go into her dressing room and cry when filming was done because of nastiness from Fillion. For multiple seasons leading up to Katic's departure and the show's subsequent cancellation, the actors reportedly loathed each other and didn't speak to each other outside of filming.

The actors actually had to go to couples counseling together at the behest of the show — despite the fact that they were the furthest thing from a couple, unlike their characters. Apparently, though, it wasn't enough to save Katic's spot on the series, and she was subjected to a "harsh" exit without, according to her, any insight into the thought process behind her expulsion.

Buffy and Willow (Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan), best friends and Slayer-sidekick combo on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," reportedly had a lot of tension between them off-camera — especially in 2003, when Gellar supposedly shocked her co-stars by announcing she was leaving the series. Comments made by Hannigan over the years have only served to exacerbate things. If there wasn't an issue before, Hannigan's interview on "Watch What Happens Live" sure changed all that.

It started with a question (via Us Weekly) about who was the most annoyed to be on the show by the time it reached its end. Without a second thought, Hannigan responded, "Sarah." When the crowd began to murmur in response, the "How I Met Your Mother" actress quickly added that she had a big career going and the stunt-heavy "Buffy" series was a lot of work.

As if that wasn't enough, Hannigan said that Gellar lost her patience for the show long before it even ended. When asked by which specific season the show's star grew to hate (yes, hate) doing "Buffy," Hannigan said it was Season 3. So it looks like rumors of behind-the-scenes tension were true after all ... and went further back than anyone knew.

Though it was initially a spin-off of "Happy Days," "Laverne & Shirley" did what only the best spin-offs are able to do and soon forged its own identity completely separate from its anchor show. For an impressive eight seasons between 1976 and 1983, the show starred Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams as the titular BFFs who lived as working-class roommates in Milwaukee for the show's first five seasons and Burbank, California for the final three. 

While the two actors were close friends for decades following the ending of the show, right up until Marshall's death in 2018 (Williams herself passed away in 2022), things were much different while "Laverne & Shirley" was actually on the air. Garry Marshall, one of the sitcom's co-creators and producers — as well as Penny's brother — revealed in his 2012 memoir that the women struggled with getting so famous so quickly, yelling and cursing at each other on a near-daily basis during production of the series. 

That was corroborated by other sources over the years, who also pointed out how the women were always competing over which one should be the bigger presence on the show — down to having their agents clock their respective clients' screen time with stop watches. 

As explained by the opening credits, late '70s-early '80s cop show "CHiPs" was so named because it followed members of the California Highway Patrol, or CHP. It starred Larry Wilcox and Erik Estrada as Jonathon "Jon" Baker and Francis "Ponch" Poncherello, respectively, who of course were an unlikely duo of opposing character archetypes who still found a way to make their partnership work as they patrolled the freeways in and around Los Angeles.

At first, fans didn't have any indication that Wilcox and Estrada weren't pals off screen like they were on "CHiPs." At least, not until the actors started having parties and major life events that the other didn't get invited to. First, Estrada didn't invite Wilcox to his wedding or his big birthday bash — both of which Wilcox pointed to as part of the reason why he didn't invite Estrada to his own 1980 wedding. At the time, People quoted Wilcox as saying, "There's no point going around telling people Erik is my best chum, because he's not and never will be." 

But time eventually cooled the tension between the actors. They seemed to be in a good place when they reunited years later for the made-for-TV movie "CHiPs '99," and were shown to be friendly and goofing around with one another as recently as a 2019 interview with Antenna TV. 

Actor Shannen Doherty developed a reputation over the years for being difficult to work with, which included behind-the-scenes drama on "Beverly Hills, 90210" that had her written off the show. While it was alleged that Doherty clashed with most of her castmates, she seemed to have a particularly ugly relationship with co-star Jennie Garth. Despite the fact that Brenda Walsh (Doherty) and Kelly Taylor (Garth) were pals on the teen drama that centered in and around West Beverly High School and its student body, the actors who played them were anything but off screen.

Tori Spelling, who also appeared in the show as Donna Martin, recalled that Doherty and Garth got involved in such a brutal physical altercation one time that their male co-stars had to break them up. The cast urged Spelling — who happened to be the daughter of the show's executive producer, Aaron Spelling — to convince her dad to fire Doherty, and he did. 

Garth and Spelling reflected on the incident in 2019, mostly laughing it off and chalking the beef up to immaturity. The pair also stated that they were thrilled to have Doherty back in the fold for that year's "BH90210" series, which saw the original cast members (sans Luke Perry) return to play exaggerated versions of themselves making a "90210" reboot.

It's been well documented at this point how "Family Matters" was originally supposed to be a grounded, heartfelt family sitcom, but was retooled significantly when side character Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) became the breakout star. The show increasingly became more focused on Urkel, and storylines started to get more outlandish and gimmicky to match. That shift never sat well with his castmates, as White told TV One: "It's very important that I say this: I was not very well welcomed to the cast at all, okay?" He claims that his co-stars felt that his popularity diminished their importance to the series, an assertion he disagrees with. 

Reginald VelJohnson, who played Winslow family patriarch — and Steve Urkel neighbor — Carl, said that working with White was difficult, though he chalked it up to his co-star being so young at the time. Things were also volatile between White and Jo Marie Payton, who played Carl's wife, Harriette. Payton said that she and White once butted heads so badly during a particular shoot that White challenged her to a physical fight — an offer she says she nearly took him up on. 

Though there was an assumption that the two actors' tense relationship is why Harriette was replaced on "Family Matters" partway through its final season, Payton insists that she was simply ready to move onto other things and that her exit had nothing to do with White. 

What happens when a veteran of the stage and screen who's been in the business for over 35 years is cast on the same television show as, well, Mr. T? That was the case in 1983 when the ensemble that rounded out action-adventure series "The A-Team" included both Mr. T and actor George Peppard as pals and teammates. Peppard's screen credits went back decades, and included the legendary film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" as well as collaborations with filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, and Arthur Hiller. Meanwhile, Mr. T was a wrestler who appeared in "Rocky III." 

Peppard and Mr. T often clashed while making "The A-Team," and it was heavily suggested that Mr. T being the biggest star on the show at the time — and acting like it — didn't sit well with the more seasoned, professional Peppard. Peppard also wasn't shy about expressing his issues with Mr. T and his lack of talent (according to Peppard), and would openly speak ill of both in interviews even while "The A-Team" was still airing. After one particularly rough incident involving the two, they didn't speak for nearly four months — which is pretty tricky for two people who are the leads on a television show together. 

Debuting on VH1 in 2011, "Single Ladies" was a dramedy about the professional and personal lives of three successful career women: Keisha Green (LisaRaye McCoy), Val Stokes (Stacey Dash), and April Goldberg (Charity Shea). At least, that's who the main trio was in the show's first season. By Season 2, Val was out and Raquel Lancaster (Denise Vasi) was in. Initially, Dash claimed she voluntarily left the show because she wanted to spend more time with her kids in Los Angeles, which was difficult with "Single Ladies" being an Atlanta production. VH1 backed up that statement and wished her luck. 

However, it seemed that this wasn't the whole story. In 2016, following the fourth and final season of "Single Ladies" — which had moved to Centric (now known as BET Her) after being axed by VH1 following Season 3 — LisaRaye McCoy was ready to spill the tea. McCoy claimed that she and Dash didn't get along on set, and eventually got to a point where there was cursing and fingers in faces. McCoy hasn't always been consistent in admitting whether or not she outright got Dash fired, seeming to admit it in one interview but denying it in another. Either way, the two actors clearly had their issues, and the "Single Ladies" set seemed to only be big enough for one of them. 

Kim Cattrall seemed willing to go through the motions in public that her and her "Sex and the City" castmates were the best of friends while that show was still on the air. But once the franchise was put to bed (the first time), she felt a little more emboldened to speak her truth about how she really felt — in particular, regarding Sarah Jessica Parker. 

While Carrie (Parker) and Samantha (Cattrall) had the kind of friendship that most of us can only envy, things were quite different when the cameras weren't rolling — in fact, the actors' relationship was even declared "TV's greatest feud." Although Cattrall had suggested over the years that she and her "SatC" co-stars weren't really friends, most people didn't think too much about it. After all, plenty of creative partnerships don't transfer over into close personal friendships. But those remarks slowly started to have a bit more bite as the years went on — until they exploded on Instagram in 2018. 

Parker posted condolences to Cattrall following the death of Cattrall's brother, prompting Cattrall to reply, "I don't need your love and support at this time [...] Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now [...] You are not my family. You are not my friend." 

While few actor duos were ever going to have the same magic that Mel Gibson and Danny Glover did in the original films, there was still some hope that their TV counterparts in Fox's "Lethal Weapon" series could at least get somewhat close. And according to critics, the chemistry between Damon Wayans as Murtagh and Clayne Crawford as Riggs was one of the best aspects of the show.

But the fact that Riggs was already dead in Season 2, despite his movie counterpart surviving for five films (and counting), suggested that perhaps Wayans and Crawford weren't a great fit off screen. Sure enough, reports began to circulate that Crawford was fired from the show following multiple incidents related to his inability to manage his anger on set. Leaked audio revealed Crawford and Wayans sniping at each other between takes, with Crawford calling Wayans a crybaby and suggesting he was only famous because of his family name. In an appearance on the "Drinkin' Bros" podcast, Crawford didn't deny that he was prone to losing his cool, but also claimed that Wayans was responsible for plenty of toxicity on the set as well. 

Season 3 of "Lethal Weapon" saw Seann William Scott take over as co-lead to Wayans, playing a new character named Cole. Wayans subsequently quit the series at the end of that season, and it would prove to be the show's last.

Starting up a workplace romance is always a dicey prospect. If things don't work out, you still have to come to work and see that person every day, even if you had a really bad split. Such was the case with "One Tree Hill" co-stars Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush, who started dating just as their respective characters — Lucas and Brooke — were also sparking up a relationship. The actors moved quickly, from dating to engagement to separation only five months into the marriage. 

Much to their chagrin, their characters were just coming back together after a period of estrangement, with the reunion coinciding with the break-up of Murray and Bush's real-life marriage. Their split was far from amicable, with Bush trying to have the marriage annulled on the grounds of fraud, with Bush claiming that Murray misled her on truly wanting to get married in the first place. 

As the years have gone on, the two stars have each made various statements about the split and one another, none particularly positive — meaning that it's still a source of sour feelings for both of them. Nonetheless, they still had to spend a further three seasons together on "One Tree Hill" — at times, as on-screen lovers — despite going through a messy and bitter divorce. 

While "Community" should have been a springboard into a modern career renaissance for veteran comedian Chevy Chase when he landed the role of Pierce Hawthorne on the acclaimed sitcom, he seemed intent to ruin any goodwill the show brought him. When he wasn't openly criticizing the quality of the show in the press, Chase was butting heads with his castmates as well as "Community" creator Dan Harmon. 

At first, it seemed like Chase was just being his usual cranky, hard-to-work-with self, which wasn't anything new for the actor, and didn't always get in the way of his giving a good performance or ultimately having an overall positive opinion about the project. But his hostility towards "Community" and the people who worked on it with him just seemed to get worse and worse as time went on, coming to a head at the infamous Season 3 wrap party, where Harmon made it his mission to publicly expose and shame Chase for the actor's behavior up to that point. 

"Community" co-star Joel McHale later revealed on the "Inside of You" podcast that he and Chase sometimes came to blows, and that McHale dislocated Chase's shoulder during one altercation. Another cast member, Donald Glover, said Chase would sometimes make racially-charged comments at him between takes in an effort to throw him off.