- 8 months ago
When the cameras stop rolling, sometimes the real drama begins in the courtroom! Join us as we examine the most notable cases where TV stars took legal action against their own productions. From pregnancy discrimination to vaccine mandates, these celebrities decided the show couldn't go on without a fight in court.
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00:00We were not totally aware of what was happening at the time.
00:03We weren't aware of much.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:06And today, we're looking at TV actors who took legal action against their shows,
00:10the creators, or the networks and studios that produced them.
00:14Some of these cases include spoilers.
00:17They could not respect the...
00:19Women.
00:20Feminine contribution.
00:21Right.
00:21Absolutely.
00:24Number 10.
00:25Rockmund Dunbar, 9-1-1.
00:27Dunbar appeared in the first five seasons of this procedural series as Michael Grant,
00:33the ex-husband of Angela Bassett's Athena.
00:36I want to tell them.
00:37Michael.
00:38The therapists say tell them when they're ready.
00:40Well, I'm saying that I'm not ready.
00:42After going to Haiti with his fiance, it's revealed that Michael settled down in Florida.
00:48In reality, Dunbar exited over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
00:52Dunbar demanded a religious exception belonging to the Church of Universal Wisdom.
00:57When Dunbar was denied, he sued 20th Century and Disney, claiming his contract had been
01:03breached and he was owed roughly $1 million.
01:07Dunbar not only cited religious discrimination, but racial misconduct as well.
01:12It is risky.
01:15And I don't know what's going to happen.
01:17And there are no guarantees here.
01:20While a judge called some claims into question, Dunbar's case moved forward.
01:26A vaccine-related lawsuit was bound to happen in Hollywood, although it's ironic that it
01:30stemmed from a show called 9-1-1.
01:33You can't let yourself think like that.
01:34Yeah.
01:36Somehow, I can't seem to stop.
01:39Number 9.
01:40Timothy Hutton.
01:41Leverage.
01:42Redemption.
01:42Decades after winning an Oscar for Ordinary People, Timothy Hutton played Nathan Ford on
01:48the crime drama Leverage.
01:49I will ruin your name.
01:51I will ruin your company.
01:53I will bring down everything you have ever touched.
01:56And when I am done, I will hunt you down.
01:59And I will kill you myself.
02:01Where the initial series ran from 2008 to 2012, it was revived as Leverage Redemption
02:07in 2021.
02:09While most of the original cast returned, the leading man was noticeably absent.
02:13Look, it was great.
02:14It was fun.
02:15It was wonderful while it lasted.
02:16But, you know, I was drunk most of the time, to be honest with you.
02:18And I'm a little crazy.
02:19I didn't get up, too.
02:20I'm good.
02:21You were the best.
02:21Before the revival was announced, Hutton was accused of sexually assaulting actress
02:26Sarah Johnston when she was a teenager and he was in his early 20s.
02:30The same month Leverage Redemption debuted, the investigation ended with no charges.
02:35Hutton has said that he has also filed a complaint with the FBI alleging extortion.
02:40The following year, Hutton sued production company Electric Entertainment, which resulted
02:45in a countersuit.
02:47Hutton cited breach of contract, while the producers argued he withheld information about
02:51a potential scandal.
02:53Two years later, an undisclosed settlement was reached.
02:56Number 8.
02:57The Adult Actors
02:58Modern Family
02:59Modern Family became one of the most profitable shows on TV, largely thanks to the chemistry
03:05between its cast.
03:06Here we have the skeptics, the dream squashers, the pritchetts, and here we have the dreamers,
03:13the artists, the visionaries.
03:15The actors thus united as a family when they sued 20th Century Fox Television in 2012.
03:20Heading into season 4, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, and
03:27Sofia Vergara filed a lawsuit as negotiations over their salaries came to a standstill.
03:32Ed O'Neill wasn't part of the lawsuit since he was already making the most money, although
03:45the Pritchett patriarch supported his co-stars.
03:48After months of litigation, the five actors had their per-episode fee raised by almost $100,000
03:54each, along with an increase every season and residual perks.
03:59Four of the show's younger cast members were also given a deserved pay bump.
04:03I might be a simple man, but I do know one thing.
04:06If a dog don't bark...
04:08Okay, I can't listen to him anymore.
04:10Case dismissed.
04:11Court adjourned.
04:13Number 7.
04:14Caitlin Sanchez, Dora the Explorer.
04:17Hola, soy Dora.
04:19Mamonos, let's go.
04:20Do you want to go on an adventure with me?
04:23Excelente, yeah!
04:25Several young performers have played Dora Marquez, but only one took the long-running
04:29children's show to court.
04:31Caitlin Sanchez voiced the titular explorer in more than 30 episodes, which aired from
04:372008 to 2012.
04:39Stand up and get ready to march!
04:43Now, march, march, march!
04:47In 2010, Nickelodeon and MTV networks faced a $10 million lawsuit from Sanchez, who felt
04:54she had been pushed into signing an unfair contract.
04:57Attorney John Balestriere, who represented Sanchez and her family, persuaded them to
05:03take a $500,000 settlement.
05:05Sanchez's family ultimately felt cheated by Balestriere, whom they reportedly owed $200,000.
05:12They also had to pay over $100,000 in taxes, among other fees.
05:16The Sanchezes tried to overturn the settlement, but their request was denied.
05:21Sanchez's days as Dora ended as she entered her early teens.
05:24Dora is just a phenomenon that just keeps going and going, and I'm really happy to be a part
05:29of it.
05:29Number 6, Nicolette Sheridan, Desperate Housewives.
05:33Wow!
05:34Good hello to you!
05:36You look so pretty!
05:38I hardly recognize you.
05:39As Edie Britt, Nicolette Sheridan was Wisteria Lane's resident scene-stealer for five seasons.
05:46Edie joins the neighborhood's other spirits following an electrical accident.
05:49I died just like I lived, as the complete and utter center of attention.
05:56At the time, co-star Terry Hatcher suggested that Sheridan was ready to leave.
06:01Yet there were also reports of tension between Sheridan and creator Mark Cherry.
06:06The plot thickened in 2010 when Sheridan accused Cherry of assault in a lawsuit against him and ABC.
06:12For me, when I spoke out of being the victim of assault and battery, I was absolutely vilified,
06:19and I decided to take that legal route.
06:21Sheridan claimed that she had been wrongfully terminated after bringing these accusations
06:26to the network.
06:27At trial, Cherry argued that Sheridan's removal was due to budget and creative reasons, with
06:33the decision being made before the alleged attack.
06:36The outcome was a mistrial.
06:37Despite Sheridan's attempts to pursue further legal action, the case lost steam.
06:43Number five, several cast members, Happy Days.
06:46Even decades later, this classic sitcom remains a lucrative brand.
06:51That doesn't mean every former cast member is happy.
06:54We worked hard.
06:55We deserve what's in the contract.
06:58There's nothing petty about that.
06:59In 2011, CBS and Paramount entered a legal battle with Aaron Moran, Don Most, Marion Ross,
07:06and Anson Williams, who played Joanie, Ralph, Marion, and Potsy, respectively.
07:11Tom Bosley had died a year earlier, but his estate also participated in the lawsuit, which
07:16alleged that the companies owed them $10 million in merchandising revenue.
07:21Happy Days also has been one of the most heavily merchandised shows in TV history, and it's been
07:27out there for 37 years, and we never got a dime for any of the merchandise.
07:32The sticking point was unpaid proceeds from Happy Days' slot machines, although CBS argued
07:37that the actors were only owed thousands rather than millions.
07:41If we don't make this big enough, a big enough issue, then the lesson isn't learned, because
07:47I think this is something that has to be dealt with across the board.
07:52While the claims of fraud were thrown out, the case went to trial and was eventually settled
07:57with the actors receiving $65,000 each.
08:00Number 4.
08:01Gina Carano, The Mandalorian
08:03A mixed martial artist turned actress, Gina Carano landed the biggest role of her career
08:09as Cara Dune on The Mandalorian.
08:12Cara Dune, marshal of the New Republic.
08:16I heard rumors you might have gone legit.
08:19I wouldn't go that far.
08:20After playing a significant role in two seasons, it was announced that Carano wouldn't return
08:25for a third. News broke that Lucasfilm had severed ties with Carano after she compared
08:31modern conservatives to Jewish people during the Holocaust on social media.
08:36I didn't know that you get canceled if you bring up the Holocaust in any way, apparently.
08:40Carano also made controversial comments amid the pandemic and 2020 election.
08:46Three years after her dismissal, Carano filed legal action against Lucasfilm and Disney,
08:51accusing them of wrongful termination and discrimination.
08:54Elon Musk bankrolled Carano's legal fight, although a month before the scheduled trial,
08:59a settlement was agreed upon.
09:01I just sent them everything that I had and they ended up speaking with X and Elon and
09:06explaining the story and they really believe that we have an awesome...
09:10Cara Dune won't be recast, meaning Mando and Grogu aren't seeing her anytime soon.
09:16Number 3.
09:17Hunter Tylo, Melrose Place
09:19Those who've seen every episode of Melrose Place know that actress Hunter Tylo never appears.
09:25However, Tylo was originally cast as Taylor McBride, who first appears in season 5.
09:31Before any footage was filmed, producer Erin Spelling removed Tylo, who revealed that she was pregnant.
09:37Just like the vampires as a narcissist is known to be, they'll suck the life energy out of you,
09:42so will this business.
09:45Lisa Rinno was cast in her place, while Tylo returned to her old job on The Bold and the Beautiful.
09:50You can handle being the mother of three precocious toddlers?
09:55Tylo still felt that Spelling had discriminated against her, lawyering up.
10:04Spelling's representation argued that Tylo couldn't play a, quote,
10:08vixen, seductress, and adulteress while pregnant.
10:11The jurors disagreed.
10:13Tylo was pregnant again at the time of the trial, barely showing during her third trimester.
10:18She was awarded almost $5 million in a landmark verdict for working pregnant actresses.
10:25That's their business.
10:26They can write their show however they want, I guess.
10:29And, uh, so I was gone.
10:33Number two, Cindy Williams, Laverne, and Shirley.
10:36And they couldn't, I guess, you know, deal with it that I needed time off to have a child.
10:44Tylo was far from the first actress to be mistreated amid her pregnancy.
10:48As Laverne and Shirley headed into its eighth season,
10:52Cindy Williams realized that Paramount had her working on her due date.
10:55So it went back and forth between the studio and me and trying to sort that all out in the end.
11:01I just, I mean, it gets so complex I could have written a whole book on that.
11:05Since Williams was one half of the titular duo,
11:08you'd think the network would have worked around her schedule.
11:11Paramount refused, though, resulting in Williams only being in the first two episodes
11:16of what wound up being the final season.
11:18Because, hey, Laverne and Shirley doesn't need Shirley, right?
11:21Laverne, I couldn't wait for you to get back from the dance.
11:24Walter got transferred and I decided to go with him.
11:27I don't know when we'll be back, so this is goodbye.
11:30Williams took out a $20 million lawsuit,
11:32indicating that she was supposed to be paid $75,000 for 22 episodes,
11:37in addition to $37,500 for reruns.
11:41The suit was settled for an unknown sum,
11:43while Shirley abruptly moved away with her new husband.
11:46It just got into a brouhaha, not a real bad one, but enough of a brouhaha.
11:52And so I was off the show and happy for it because, you know, I was starting my family.
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12:14Number 1.
12:15Suzanne Somers
12:16Three's Company
12:17This sitcom turned its trio into stars,
12:21but John Ritter was reportedly making much more than Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers.
12:25So I'm looking around and thinking,
12:27why are all the men, including John Ritter, making 10 times more?
12:31I didn't know John Ritter was making more at that time.
12:33When the time came to renegotiate Summers' contract,
12:36her husband, Alan Hamill,
12:38insisted that her salary be raised to $150,000 per episode.
12:43The network wouldn't go higher than a $5,000 per episode raise,
12:47resulting in Summers being fired and Chrissy Snow being phased out.
12:51Chrissy?
12:53Do you know what time it is?
12:54No.
12:56I'll go find out.
12:57According to Hamill,
12:58ABC had recently reached a monster deal with the stars of Laverne and Shirley.
13:03So, quote,
13:04they decided they needed to make an example of female actresses
13:07so that no other woman would ask to be paid what men were making.
13:11Summers sued ABC for $2 million,
13:14although she only got $30,000 from the settlement.
13:17We had to pay her $30,000 for the first show that she missed,
13:23or $35,000, whatever it was.
13:25But the $2,500,000, no way.
13:29And that was the end of Suzanne Somers.
13:31Can you think of any other actors who sued their own shows?
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