On screen, actors may seem like best friends, but off-screen, it’s often quite the opposite. Every day, the weather on the set could turn sour due to clashing personalities, random disagreements, and other drama. Sometimes it even gets to the point where one of the actors gets booted off the set. These situations are tense enough to become part of the project’s legacy.
Here are some of the most talked-about examples of actors trying to push co-stars out of a movie or TV show.
Anger Management — Charlie Sheen vs Selma Blair
When Selma Blair left Anger Management, multiple reports claimed that the reason for that was Charlie Sheen, the star of the show, pushing for her removal. Why would Sheen do that? In some versions of the story, she spoke to producers about issues on set and suddenly became the scapegoat for it. Naturally, Sheen denied all that and framed it as a creative decision, saying the show wasn’t meant to center on the characters’ relationship and that audiences were still comparing him to Two and a Half Men.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — Will Smith vs Janet Hubert
The original Aunt Viv (Janet Hubert) vanished from the show, and Daphne Maxwell Reid took her spot. For years, the common story was that a feud with Will Smith was a major factor. Will Smith and co-star Alfonso Ribeiro reportedly claimed that Hubert was challenging to collaborate with, but Hubert vehemently refuted this claim and asserted her expulsion. A reunion special finally addressed the tension more directly, decades later.
Full House — John Stamos vs the Olsen twins
John Stamos admitted he wanted the Olsen twins off the show early on because filming was slow and unpredictable. Imagine complaining about kids crying and getting tired during long shoots. Production even tried replacements briefly, but it didn’t stick. The twins returned, Full House became a long-running hit, and Stamos’s confession lives on as one of the most blunt behind-the-scenes anecdotes.
Ugly Betty — America Ferrera vs Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan’s guest arc ended up shorter than initially planned. One version of the story says America Ferrera was popular enough to set Lohan’s farewell in motion because she convinced the producers that Lohan was hard to work with. Of course, there’s also the other side, claiming that she was being scapegoated and that Ferrera was the real source of tension. Like a lot of set-drama legends, it’s messy because everyone involved seems to have receipts, but in the end it’s still “he said, she said.”
The Hangover Part II — the cast vs Mel Gibson
This time, it wasn’t just two co-stars feuding, but a whole production holding hands in a protest. Mel Gibson was initially set up for a cameo, but the offer was pulled, likely tied to the major controversies surrounding him at the time. Even if the studio was on board, a film set is still a group project, and the role needed broader support. In good news, we got a Liam Neeson cameo instead.
The Notebook — Ryan Gosling vs Rachel McAdams
It’s hard to picture The Notebook without its Gosling and McAdams, but the set reportedly got rocky. According to the director, Ryan Gosling hit a breaking point during a bad day of filming and asked if anyone else could sub for Rachel McAdams. Instead of indulging it, the director put them in a room and basically made them air it out until the tension burned off. It took some time and effort, but thanks to that, the film stayed on track.
Beverly Hills, 90210 — Tori Spelling vs Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty got fired from Beverly Hills thanks to Tori Spelling, who also openly admitted to it, as if it were no big deal. This drama gets extra saucy because her father, Aaron Spelling, was behind the show. Spelling has since come out saying she regretted her decision, framing it like a moment where group dynamics and petty conflict turned into a career-altering outcome for someone who had once been a close friend.
Seinfeld — Jason Alexander vs Heidi Swedberg
Sometimes the rift is not as dramatic as one may think. Heidi Swedberg played Susan Ross, George’s fiancée, but the cast wasn’t feeling the chemistry with her. Jason Alexander has said their acting rhythms didn’t line up, which made it challenging for him to play off her cues. It also didn’t help that the writers were planning on offing a character at some point, so they wrote Susan out in one of TV’s most bizarre deaths—licking too many envelopes.
Lethal Weapon — Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford
The reboot series of the classic 80s and 90s franchises had a very public behind-the-scenes implosion, and Clayne Crawford eventually got replaced by Seann William Scott. On set, complaints about Crawford’s behavior escalated, leading to a massive blowup and an incident where Crawford injured Damon Wayans during a scene he was directing. It didn’t look good for him, and even though Crawford was playing the titular “Lethal Weapon,” the situation got weaponized against him.
