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Lights, camera, conflict! Join us as we count down our picks for the TV co-stars who were electric on-screen but couldn't stand each other behind the scenes! From petty disagreements to full-blown feuds, these duos proved that great on-screen chemistry doesn't always translate off camera. Which pair shocked you the most? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:04Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the co-stars who were electric
00:10on screen but clashed behind the scenes.
00:1920. Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross
00:23Black-ish
00:24Dre and Rainbow Johnson have been one of television's most believable married couples.
00:29Their chemistry is especially impressive considering the actors had a rocky history before the show.
00:35When the two co-hosted the 2005 Vibe Awards, Anthony Anderson made a vulgar joke that led to Tracee Ellis
00:42Ross disliking him for years.
00:44I just turned and said, Tracee, did you fart?
00:47And I see you laugh, it's funny, right? I thought it was a funny joke.
00:51We know she didn't fart, we know it was that.
00:53She hated me for 15 years.
00:55When they were cast together on Black-ish, Ross admitted she was initially wary of working with him.
01:01She even considered passing on the series when she heard he would be her co-star.
01:05Over time, however, they developed a strong professional relationship and mutual respect,
01:11helping anchor the sitcom for eight seasons.
01:16After 20 years, you'll finally figure out what to say to turn me on, baby!
01:2219. Dean Cain and Terry Hatcher
01:25Lois and Clark, The New Adventures of Superman
01:27Fans have been speculating about this feud for decades.
01:31For four seasons of Lois and Clark, The New Adventures of Superman,
01:35Dean Cain and Terry Hatcher made Superman and Lois Lane one of television's most popular couples.
01:41I see it, but I don't believe it.
01:44What, a man who flies?
01:46No, Lois Lane.
01:47Finally, literally swept off her feet.
01:51Behind the scenes, however, their relationship was far less romantic.
01:55Cain has said he often struggled to understand Hatcher's working style,
02:00claiming her perfectionism sometimes led to delays and frustration on set.
02:05Hatcher, meanwhile, has offered a less flattering assessment of her co-star,
02:09suggesting a personality at odds with his recent social and political opinions.
02:14Well, I can definitely say that when we were shooting Lois and Clark,
02:17there was no Jesus and there was no...
02:20I mean, you know, he's very, like, with the cross now and whatever.
02:23Like, he was, like, drunk and, you know...
02:26And, like...
02:27Despite the tension, both actors maintained a professional working relationship,
02:32and their on-screen chemistry rarely hinted at the difficulties that reportedly existed off-camera.
02:38Number 18.
02:39Gene Hagen and Danny Thomas
02:41The Danny Thomas Show
02:42Originally called Make Room for Daddy,
02:45this trailblazing sitcom helped establish family sitcom conventions.
02:49It became beloved thanks to the warm chemistry between Danny Thomas and Gene Hagen.
02:54Lucky me, thank you, see, I'm in love...
03:01Off-screen, however, the two stars had a rocky connection.
03:05Contemporary accounts and later reports suggest
03:08they frequently clashed over creative and professional matters.
03:11Hagen grew tired of the constant fighting
03:14and ultimately left the series after its third season.
03:17Tellingly, Thomas decided to kill the character off,
03:20an unusually dramatic move for a sitcom at the time.
03:24Well, for over a year now, I've had to be both father and mother to the kids,
03:28and I never expected I'd do much of a job as a mother,
03:32but lately I'm not doing so hard as a father.
03:34As it was the 1950s, this was more respectable than a divorce.
03:38Number 17.
03:40Ted Danson and Shelley Long
03:42Cheers
03:42Ted Danson and Shelley Long created television magic as Sam and Diane on Cheers,
03:47but their working relationship was often complicated.
03:51Speaking of fat, braying asses, you're about to get dumped on yours.
03:57How dare you slap me?
04:00Danson has said that early on, he wasn't sure they would work well together
04:04because their acting styles and approaches were so different.
04:08Both admitted to tension in their real-life relationship.
04:11Those differences occasionally led to friction and frustration behind the scenes,
04:15even as they fueled the chemistry that made their characters so compelling.
04:20Despite the on-set strife, both actors have credited each other for helping make Cheers a success,
04:26proving that creative conflict can sometimes produce unforgettable television.
04:30I will say this, I've said this before in print, but it's true, you really put us on the map.
04:35And this is not my opinion, this is everybody's.
04:37You know, we hadn't seen a character like Diane Chambers.
04:41Number 16.
04:42Patti LuPone and Bill Smitovich
04:45Life Goes On
04:46According to LuPone, a Broadway legend who never mints his words,
04:50her off-screen relationship with on-screen husband Bill Smitovich was quite the challenge.
04:55In her memoir, she wrote candidly about clashes with Smitovich,
04:59describing him as difficult to work with and recalling frequent tension during the series' run.
05:05Well, you relax, you're making me nervous.
05:07Lib, it's the corks' first day in the bigs.
05:09I'd hate for him to be late.
05:11Now, you want me to take him this way, you can just...
05:12I'm almost ready.
05:13It doesn't help.
05:14LuPone suggested their personalities simply did not mesh,
05:18creating an uncomfortable working environment despite their need to portray a loving married couple.
05:24Smitovich confirmed, saying that their great chemistry did not translate off-screen.
05:29While the actors remained professional on camera,
05:32in front of the camera was the only time they spoke.
05:35What's another year between friends, huh?
05:41Number 15.
05:42Jessica Walter and Jeffrey Tambor
05:44Arrested Development
05:46Though they delivered comedy gold as Lucille and George Bluth Sr. on the cult sitcom,
05:51Jessica Walter and Jeffrey Tambor's chemistry was strained when the cameras stopped rolling.
05:56In a New York Times interview featuring the cast,
05:59Walter revealed that Tambor had verbally lashed out at her on set, leaving her shaken.
06:05Because honestly, Jason says this happens all the time.
06:08In like almost 60 years of working, I've never had anybody yell at me like that on a set.
06:13And it's hard to deal with it.
06:15Tambor later apologized while their castmates downplayed the incident in print.
06:19The anecdote brought renewed attention to Tambor's reputation for having a volatile temper.
06:25It didn't help that Walter's revelation came amid broader allegations of misconduct during Tambor's time on Transparent,
06:33which led to his departure from that series.
06:35It didn't feel real.
06:37It didn't feel right.
06:38It felt like we messed up and didn't protect people.
06:42And it was very confusing and painful.
06:45Number 14. James Franco and Busy Phillips, Freaks and Geeks
06:50In her memoir, This Will Only Hurt a Little,
06:53Busy Phillips alleged that James Franco was hostile toward her during filming
06:57and described an incident in which he angrily shoved her to the ground while shooting a scene.
07:02When we were on Freaks and Geeks, we were 19 and we really, really disliked each other.
07:05It's well documented.
07:07He like shoved me to the ground once.
07:08So it was like really brutal.
07:11She wrote that Franco was not punished for his behavior.
07:14Although the series only lasted one season,
07:17the experience left a lasting impression on Phillips
07:20and has become one of the show's most discussed behind-the-scenes stories.
07:24She doesn't want to see you.
07:25That's right.
07:26So why don't you get the hell out of here?
07:27Hey, will you let me explain?
07:29Explain what?
07:29That I hate you?
07:30Hey, I didn't do nothing.
07:31Oh, you didn't do anything.
07:33I'm sorry.
07:33That must have been somebody else.
07:34Their professional performances ultimately masked a working relationship
07:38that was reportedly marked by tension and resentment.
07:41What once seemed like an isolated clash on a canceled teen drama
07:45has since become a frequently cited example of the power imbalances
07:49that often went unchallenged on television sets of the era.
07:53Number 13.
07:54Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo
07:56Gray's Anatomy
07:57Patrick Dempsey's Dr. McDreamy and Ellen Pompeo's Meredith Gray
08:01became one of television's most iconic couples,
08:05but their off-screen relationship was occasionally complicated.
08:08Rumors of on-set tension are documented,
08:11but Pompeo has only spoken openly about professional challenges on Gray's Anatomy,
08:16including her fight for pay parody as the show's title character.
08:20On the Call Her Daddy podcast,
08:22she reflected on fighting to be paid a commensurate about to Dempsey,
08:26despite playing the title character.
08:28Only a man can fail,
08:31can have 13 failed TV pilots,
08:33and their quote still keeps going up, right?
08:36Dempsey later revealed he was hurt by some of Pompeo's public comments.
08:40While their recollections differ,
08:42the tension surrounding their working relationship
08:44stands in sharp contrast to the enduring romance they portrayed on screen.
08:49My hair?
08:50It smells good.
08:52And you're very, very bossy.
08:55Keeps me in line.
08:57Number 12.
08:58Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley
09:00The Vampire Diaries
09:01Loved actors behind Elena and Stefan,
09:04whose romance was central to The Vampire Diaries,
09:07initially struggled to get along off-screen.
09:10Her and I juiced notoriously butted heads.
09:13Like, I mean, we wouldn't get into these, like,
09:15we got into one big blowout fight on set,
09:19and they were like,
09:20okay, everybody take a half hour.
09:22Dobrev even admitted there was a period
09:24when they genuinely disliked each other.
09:27Despite occasional friction and clashing personalities,
09:30they maintained a professional working relationship
09:33and delivered one of the show's most popular pairings.
09:36Over time, their relationship evolved dramatically.
09:39The former co-stars eventually became close friends,
09:42often joking about their early disagreements
09:45in interviews and on podcasts.
09:47And the irony is that now we're such good friends,
09:51and we, like, are, you know,
09:52once we stepped away from the show,
09:56and even later, like, in later seasons,
09:58we just became buddies.
09:59Their turnaround became so complete
10:01that fans were often surprised to learn
10:03there had been tension between them at all.
10:05Number 11.
10:06Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell
10:08Martin
10:09Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell
10:11played the iconic TV couple Martin and Gina,
10:14radiating comedic chemistry
10:15that kept audiences hooked for years.
10:18However, the bubbles of laughter onscreen
10:20hit intense off-screen conflict.
10:22You know, they take care of the star,
10:24then everybody else is a piece of s***.
10:27That's just how it goes down,
10:29and you know, you just,
10:30you embrace being a piece of s***.
10:32Over time, Campbell and Lawrence had numerous disputes,
10:35with Campbell eventually taking legal action against Lawrence,
10:39citing issues of harassment and a hostile work environment.
10:42After returning to the series,
10:44Campbell insisted on filming scenes separately from Lawrence whenever possible.
10:48Their infamous off-camera tension coupled with their clashing personalities
10:53made working together highly stressful.
10:56It was just like The Matrix.
10:57It was like,
10:58you know,
10:59you could hear silence.
11:02It was just very surreal.
11:04With the stars no longer willing to work closely together,
11:07the conflict contributed to the end of Martin.
11:10Number 10.
11:11Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher
11:13That 70s show.
11:15I am in love with a doofus.
11:18This definitely wasn't a case of love at first sight.
11:21Despite the two now being married,
11:24a long-time friend of Kutcher told Radar Online
11:26that everyone shakes their head over the romance.
11:29You still love me when I'm bald.
11:34You could wear a wig.
11:35According to the source,
11:37the two were absolutely not friends during filming,
11:40and that they couldn't stand working together.
11:43We don't know how credible this source is,
11:45but their words are backed up by Mila Kunis herself.
11:48Michael, now I know I can honestly trust you with all my heart.
11:52She told Glamour that she once thought Ashton was crazy,
11:55and that she started to hate him once he became famous.
11:58Apparently, he thought he was all that.
12:00She also said that they had full friendship breakups
12:03on numerous occasions,
12:05signifying that their time together
12:07may not have been all sunshine and rainbows.
12:09Look, just say you miss me.
12:11Fine, I miss you.
12:18While young Kirk Cameron was raised an atheist,
12:22he converted to Christianity when he was 17.
12:25This caused frustration on the set of Growing Pains,
12:28as he caused trouble with his co-stars
12:30and insisted that the writers remove
12:32any semblance of inappropriate content.
12:47However, it was Julie McCullough
12:50who faced the brunt of his criticism.
12:52Julie had previously posed nude for Playboy,
12:55and Kirk objected to this lewd behavior.
12:57You are so sweet and so dependable and so sexy.
13:04The story goes that Kirk accused the producers
13:07of promoting pornography and ordered Julie to be fired.
13:10And although Kirk claims that he never called
13:13for her termination,
13:14he and Julie remain distant and are not on speaking terms.
13:18Mike, I'm sorry.
13:20I wished I could be more like you and...
13:23But I'm not.
13:27So take care of yourself.
13:29Whatever happened, it's clear that they did not,
13:31and continue to not, get along.
13:34Number 8. Joan Collins and John Forsythe, Dynasty
13:37Joan and John played divorced couple Alexis and Blake Carrington
13:41on the popular soap opera Dynasty.
13:43I know that this used to be your house,
13:46but it isn't now.
13:48I'd appreciate you having yourself announced
13:50next time you barge in here.
13:52While the two were split,
13:54their personal drama helped Dynasty
13:55become one of the biggest soap operas of the 80s.
13:59And it looks like Alexis and Blake's toxic relationship
14:02was just as hostile as Joan and John's.
14:04Joan has admitted that John didn't like her very much
14:07and has called him misogynistic and a bit sexist.
14:10I didn't start that fire, Blake.
14:12No, you did start a barrage of character assassination,
14:16nearly ended in murder.
14:18Well, this time, it might end in murder.
14:21She also states that John lambasted her
14:23for demanding equal pay,
14:25and she was allegedly called a diva and a bitch.
14:28I am going to kill you.
14:32However, there seems to be no hard feelings,
14:34as Joan honored John upon his death,
14:37calling him one of the last true gentlemen
14:39of the acting profession.
14:53Susan's untimely death from licking toxic glue
14:56is one of the most iconic moments of Seinfeld.
15:07It showcases the gang's heartless and selfish mentality
15:11in the most upfront and brutal way possible,
15:14rivaling that of Game of Thrones.
15:17She's, uh, gone.
15:23Dead?
15:24But her death was swift
15:26because her exit from the show was swift.
15:28While no one hated Heidi,
15:30Jason had issues with her comedic style
15:32and called her difficult to work with.
15:34Oh, no.
15:35George, that's so ugly.
15:37We don't want that.
15:38What's the difference?
15:39You just read it and mail it right back.
15:41No one really believed him
15:42until Jerry Seinfeld and Julia Louis-Dreyfus
15:45worked with her on season seven,
15:46and they quickly agreed with Jason.
15:49You see what I do for you?
15:51While Heidi was written off as a result,
15:53Jason still vouches for her,
15:55calling her a kind and lovely person.
16:00Since when are you small?
16:03I've always smoked.
16:05Number six, Sybil Shepard and Bruce Willis, Moonlighting.
16:09So what brings you to this neck of the woods?
16:11Well, I guess I just wanted to see how you were doing.
16:15Sybil Shepard is not shy about expressing her frustration
16:18with Bruce Willis.
16:19In 2005, she admitted to Entertainment Weekly
16:23that the two hated each other.
16:25Their co-star, Curtis Armstrong,
16:27says as much in his book, Revenge of the Nerd.
16:29I can't believe you're going to sit there
16:31and let me go through this by myself.
16:33He tells a few interesting stories,
16:35like the time Sybil grew so frustrated
16:37that she threw a suitcase at the wall.
16:39There are a few theories as to why they didn't get along.
16:42I hate you, David Addison.
16:45I know.
16:47I hate you too, Maddie Hayes.
16:49Curtis says that Sybil was called a bitch
16:51by the male-dominated crew,
16:53another co-star called Bruce an asshole.
16:55Curtis also says that Bruce told him
16:57about an ill-conceived thing between him and Sybil,
17:00which led to their hostility.
17:02Maybe it is none of my damn business,
17:04but I got a right to know.
17:06Right to know?
17:06What right to know?
17:07You don't have any right to know.
17:07Whatever the case,
17:08it's safe to say that they did not love each other.
17:11You're back.
17:12You're right.
17:12You're scum.
17:13Number 5.
17:15Selma Blair and Charlie Sheen,
17:17Anger Management
17:18Whatever you do,
17:19do not tell Charlie Sheen
17:21that he has a poor work ethic.
17:23Hi.
17:23How was your day, doctor?
17:25It's about to get much better,
17:26whatever you call a person with a master's degree.
17:29While filming Anger Management,
17:31Selma Blair allegedly complained
17:33about Charlie's lack of work ethic,
17:35as she thought he took too long to learn his lines.
17:38Word got back to Charlie,
17:39and according to an insider,
17:41he flew off the handle,
17:43creating an awkward and toxic situation.
17:46I need an amused bouche before the flemignon.
17:49My bouche is not amused.
17:51Sheen retaliated by firing Blair
17:53via a nasty text message
17:55in which he allegedly called her the C-word.
17:57However,
17:58Sheen says that they were planning
18:00on writing Blair's character off anyway
18:02to make the show
18:03and Charlie's character more interesting.
18:05I'm having problems with my best friend.
18:07Charlie?
18:08Not you.
18:09I got a lot more friends than you.
18:10Regardless,
18:11Selma lawyered up
18:12and demanded $1.2 million
18:14in lost wages.
18:21Number 4.
18:22Jillian Anderson and David Duchovny
18:24The X-Files
18:25What am I coming to see?
18:27I'm not going to tell you.
18:28I want you to decide for yourself.
18:30David and Jillian's hostile working relationship
18:33has been well documented.
18:35Their disagreements have been known
18:36since at least 1996,
18:38when Chris Nixon's book
18:40told of the fine line
18:41between the actors' happiness
18:43and irritability towards each other.
18:45Proving to the world
18:46the existence of alien life
18:48is not my last dying wish.
18:51How about Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny?
18:54Other reports subsequently came out
18:56over the years,
18:57many of which recounted
18:59a strained working
19:00and personal relationship.
19:08David also told Metro
19:10that they often couldn't stand
19:11the sight of each other
19:12and Jillian told The Guardian
19:14that she and David
19:15went through periods
19:16of not speaking to each other.
19:18Reports of a full-on vitriolic hatred
19:20may be exaggerated,
19:22but there's no denying
19:23that the actors
19:24had a tense and troublesome relationship.
19:27There was a lot of camaraderie there,
19:29it seemed like.
19:30Was it always like that?
19:32No.
19:32No.
19:33Number 3.
19:34Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray,
19:37One Tree Hill.
19:38The difference?
19:40The difference is I love you, Brooke.
19:42Things were quite sweet
19:44for a while there.
19:45Sophia and Chad grew close
19:47throughout their time
19:47on One Tree Hill
19:48and even married in April 2005,
19:51right before the conclusion
19:52of the second season.
19:58However, they were separated
20:00the following September
20:01and later divorced.
20:03According to a friend of Sophia,
20:05Chad didn't share Sophia's enthusiasm
20:07for the sanctity of marriage.
20:09I wanted you to fight for me.
20:12I wanted you to say
20:13there is no one else
20:14that you could ever be with
20:16and that you'd rather be alone
20:18than without me.
20:19Sophia later told Andy Cohen
20:21that she never wanted
20:22to marry Chad,
20:23whose rep clapped back
20:24by saying that wasn't true
20:26and that Chad doesn't feel
20:27the need to engage
20:28in this type of behavior.
20:30And you got married
20:30after how long?
20:31I don't even know.
20:32Right.
20:32And I didn't,
20:33it was not a thing
20:34I actually really wanted to do.
20:35Ouch.
20:36It sounds like there is still
20:37some bad blood between the two.
20:39Number 2.
20:40Stana Caddick
20:41and Nathan Fillion
20:42Castle
20:52When it comes to toxic
20:54working relationships,
20:55few are as hostile
20:56as Stana Caddick
20:57and Nathan Fillion's.
20:59An anonymous source told us,
21:01not us,
21:02Us Weekly,
21:03that Stana and Nathan
21:04completely despise each other
21:06and refuse to speak
21:07when the cameras aren't rolling.
21:08I'm so sorry, Castle.
21:12I'm so sorry.
21:15I'm so sorry.
21:17In fact,
21:19things got so bad between them
21:20that they were forced
21:21into couples counseling
21:22by the producers.
21:24I almost died
21:26and all I could think about was you.
21:30I just want you.
21:31A second insider told us
21:33that Nathan wasn't well liked
21:35by the cast and crew
21:36and that his nastiness
21:37caused Stana to cry
21:38in her dressing room.
21:47The show was canceled in 2016
21:49and while it's terrible
21:50that all those people
21:52lost their jobs,
21:53it was probably
21:53for the best in this case.
21:56This is,
21:59without a doubt,
22:02the greatest birthday gift
22:04of my life!
22:07Number 1.
22:09Vivian Vance
22:10and William Frawley
22:11I Love Lucy
22:12Hey Rick,
22:13does it have to look cute?
22:14But what are you wearing
22:15that bustle for, honey?
22:16You don't need it.
22:17These two should have received
22:18all the acting awards
22:19because they definitely
22:21deserved them.
22:22It all started
22:23when William overheard Vivian
22:24complaining about his age
22:26as he was 22 years older
22:28than she was.
22:29Never mind that now, Fred.
22:31We're gonna be on television.
22:32Who is?
22:33Our women's club.
22:34Well, that ought to bring back movies.
22:36William in turn wished
22:38that Vivian would return
22:39to her home state of Kansas
22:40and Vivian proceeded
22:42to call him names
22:43like that stubborn-headed
22:44little Irishman.
22:45It's also important to note
22:47that William had a well-known
22:48alcohol use disorder
22:50and a reputation
22:51for being crabby
22:52and ill-tempered.
22:53Fred?
22:54Now, honey bunch,
22:55I'm not gonna tell them
22:56your exact age.
22:58Let's just say it's somewhere
22:59between the speedy cleaners
23:00and Goldblatt's delicatessen.
23:02The two later declined
23:03a lucrative spin-off opportunity
23:05as they didn't want to work
23:07with each other again.
23:08And according to Hollywood legend,
23:10Vivian jokingly ordered champagne
23:12when she heard
23:13about William's death.
23:14Now that's true hatred
23:15right there.
23:16Fred, give him back those tickets.
23:18Are you crazy?
23:19They cost $6.60 a piece.
23:21I don't care if they cost $6.60.
23:22We're not going.
23:24Well, I am.
23:24Well, take somebody else.
23:26Hey, there's an idea.
23:28Which pair surprised you the most?
23:30Let us know in the comments below.
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