How Alyssa Milano Came Between Shannen Doherty & Holly Marie Combs

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, The WB's "Charmed" was the ultimate show for those looking for a fantasy television drama with a supernatural twist. The original iconic trio of Shannen Doherty, Alyssa Milano, and Holly Marie Combs (Rose McGowan would replace Doherty in 2001) starred as the three Halliwell sisters who became their own mini-coven upon learning they were descended from witches.

Though there were many otherworldly encounters with supernatural villains, "Charmed" also had plenty of everyday life storylines. However, some of the most gossip-column-worthy drama happened when the cameras stopped rolling. The Halliwell sisters may have seemed as tight as, well, sisters, but off-screen, there were some major feuds.

Things didn't start out cursed. In fact, an interview around the time of the show's premiere captured Milano gushing to E! News, "I feel that we're incredibly lucky that the three of us found each other," before detailing how she and Combs were especially close, riding their horses together frequently as they boarded them at the same ranch. A year later, Combs and Doherty were seen supporting Milano at her wedding as members of the bridal party. But by season two of "Charmed," things were more than tense, especially between Milano and Doherty. Their rocky relationship worsened until Doherty decided it was time for her to leave after the show's third season.

In a sort of BFF love triangle, Alyssa Milano wasn't comfortable sharing her bestie, Holly Marie Combs, with Shannen Doherty. At least, that's how Doherty described it on her podcast, "Let's Be Clear With Shannen Doherty." Combs had to undergo a tumor removal procedure not long after the first season of "Charmed" started filming, landing her in the hospital for a few days of recovery. But when Doherty went to wish her well, she reportedly was blocked by Milano and her mother. She explained, "I was being told I couldn't even get in by Alyssa and her mom. They were blocking people from seeing you but at the time, you didn't know."

Doherty then was in the awkward position of trying to maintain a friendship and a working relationship, confessing her sadness, but "I also felt like my anger at the situation of not being allowed to come see you, and how sort of family had swooped in and caused this sort of weird divide between the two of us." After that encounter, it was all downhill, with Doherty stating that every day on set left her in tears until she left "Charmed" in 2001.

Initially, Milano disagreed, telling Entertainment Weekly that it was their differing personalities; she was chill, and Doherty was strong-willed, that caused the rift, though she eventually saw Doherty's point of view, admitting to Entertainment Tonight in 2021, "I was in competition rather than it being that sisterhood."

The "power of three" wasn't just broken by Alyssa Milano, but allegedly by her mother, Lin Milano, too. The talent manager reportedly became like a surrogate mom to Holly Marie Combs. Reflecting on that period in her life, Combs told Shannen Doherty on her podcast, "I think it was pretty obvious I was raised by teenage parents, and I didn't have a big family, so you're right when a family swooped in and tried to basically adopt me, it was very seductive for me."

Her parents, Lauralei Combs and David Combs, were 15 and 17, respectively, when she was born. The extent of the relationship between Lin and Combs is unclear, but if Doherty's account of the hospital incident is true, the bond seems pretty close. Lin gave more insight to TMZ, explaining that Combs would occasionally come over for dinner and that they became closer when Combs was expecting. However, she still only classified them as "great friends." She also adamantly rejected Doherty's retelling of the event, stating that it would have been near impossible for her to block anyone from seeing Combs post-surgery — adding that Alyssa was a grown woman who made her own choices while filming on set every day without input from her mother.

For her part, Combs confessed on the podcast, "We all had bad days, we all had good days. We all could have behaved better at certain points," seemingly wanting to smooth things over once and for all.