What Really Caused The Drama Between John Ritter And Suzanne Somers?
Suzanne Somers became a household name when she starred as Chrissy Snow in the ABC sitcom "Three's Company," alongside John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt. The comedy centered around the three leads who all lived together as roommates, but since their landlord was opposed to unmarried men and women living together, Jack (played by Ritter) posed as a gay man. The series was based off a British television show, "Man About the House," with a similar premise.
While Ritter was originally pushed as the star of the show, according to Variety, it was Somers' "dumb blonde" Chrissy who soon became a fan-favorite. The two had great chemistry that resulted in some hilarious scenes. However, by the end of the fifth season, there was some tension on set that caused drama between Somers and Ritter, and a lot of it had to do with money. And it wasn't until 2003, just before Ritter died on the set of "8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter," that the two late "Three's Company" stars were able to make peace.
Suzanne Somers wanted to be paid the same as John Ritter
At the height of fame for "Three's Company," Suzanne Somers pushed to be paid the same as her male counterpart, John Ritter. When the ABC sitcom began in 1976, Ritter was the bigger name, which is why he was given the top-billed spot. However, as the show went on, both Somers and Joyce DeWitt proved their stardom as Chrissy Snow and Janet Wood. It was after Season 5 that Somers requested to be compensated the same as her co-star, which would have her salary jump from $30,000 an episode to $150,000. In 2020, Somers shared with Entertainment Tonight, "[W]e went in to renegotiate for year six because we had to, my contract was up. And they fired me."
At the time, Somers was made to look greedy, which caused tension within the cast, especially with Ritter. "I think he irrationally got mad at me because he lost his sparring partner. I would be mad too and there was no going back," Somers admitted. The drama between the two hurt Somers, but the former castmates were able to mend their broken relationship. In 2003, Ritter asked Somers to guest star on an episode of "8 Simple Rules." Somers shared that Ritter began the conversation saying, "I forgive you," before going into his pitch. While she eventually said no to the offer, the two did plan to find a project in the future. Unfortunately, Ritter died on set a month later.