Did The Cast Of The Love Boat Feud Behind The Scenes? What Gavin MacLeod Said About The Rumors

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From 1977 to 1987, viewers tuned in each week to watch the latest adventures aboard the Pacific Princess on "The Love Boat." The beloved, long-running series had a simple format; each episode, a new group of guest stars would take a cruise on the ship and, in either dramatic or comedic stories, fall in love with another guest. Meanwhile, the crew of the ship, led by the great Gavin MacLeod as Captain Merrill Stubing, was a mix of comic relief, helping hands, and sometimes, they even got caught up in their own drama. The popularity of the show ensured that "The Love Boat" was always under the watchful eye of the tabloids and, as MacLeod detailed in his memoir "Back on Course," "The National Enquirer ran an article on how 'The Love Boat' cast had been squabbling over getting better lines and bigger parts."  But, according to the good captain, that wasn't the case.

Recalling the shocking, tell-all article, "Love Boat" star Gavin MacLeod, who sadly passed away in 2021, threw aspersions at the National Enquirer and other similar magazines by pointing out, "These articles usually used expressions like, 'According to insiders' and 'One source has said' and 'A behind-the-scenes person adds,'" before outright denying that there were any fights between cast members. As MacLeod emphatically stated, "The cast was extremely professional and got along quite well, considering none of us were playing really showy roles." For fans who would be heartbroken to imagine the cast of "The Love Boat," especially the likes of Gopher and Isaac, not getting along, this was definitely reassuring.

Like any good crew, some of "The Love Boat's" stars haven't just talked about how well they get along; they've continued to prove it even decades after the hit show ended. In 2025, Fred Grandy (Gopher), Ted Lange (Isaac), and Jill Whelan (Vicki) started "The Love Boat Podcast," where they get together regularly to talk about their experiences on the show alongside guests. Among others, they've had series regulars Bernie Kopell (Doc) and Ted McGinley (Ace) on, as well as classic "Love Boat" guest stars like Glynn Turman, best known today as Mayor Clarence Royce from "The Wire." 

Promoting the show on the "That's Classic!" podcast, Grandy discussed their ongoing friendship, enthusing, "I believe we are the only cast who has congealed into a lifelong friendship long after the show has gone off the air [...] We look for ways to work with one another." McGinley, who joined the show in 1983, discussed how the other members of the cast welcomed him into their world on "The Love Boat Podcast," while also revealing a story about the gang heading off to a bar in Amsterdam to get Whelan, then the youngest member, her first margarita. 

McGinley went on to sweetly note, "Your cast, I've never come across that kind of kindness ever in my career. You were all so welcoming to me [...] To a person, it was such a nice place to be and to work." Considering how many one-time celebrity besties don't speak to one another anymore, it's heartwarming to know that there's still lots of love between the former cast of "The Love Boat."