The Truth About Alyson Hannigan And Sarah Michelle Gellar's Relationship On Buffy The Vampire Slayer
"Buffy The Vampire Slayer" was a massive television hit for seven seasons, but rumor has it that the crime-fighting teen drama included some serious tension behind the scenes. For years, the tabloids insinuated that on-screen besties Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) may not have been so cordial when the cameras weren't rolling.
The problems allegedly began when Gellar announced she was leaving the show in a cover story for Entertainment Weekly in 2003, supposedly blindsiding some members of the cast and crew. Years later, Hannigan appeared to add fuel to the fire during an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen." The king of spilled tea asked, "Who was the most annoyed to be on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' by the end of the show's run?"
"Sarah," said Hannigan, without skipping a beat. "Well, she had a big career going on. It was a lot of work." Though "Buffy" won 10 Emmy Awards over the course of seven seasons, Hannigan claimed Gellar hated it by Season 3. Sheesh.
Gellar did tell Entertainment Weekly that starring on the show wasn't always fun. "There've been times where that's been difficult — you want to pick up and go, try other things, live in different places," Gellar said, noting that calling it quits "feels right, and you have to listen to that."
But was the departure really as intense as we were led to believe?
Alysain Hannigan tries to clear the air about Sarah Michelle Gellar
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon claims there's no bad blood between Sarah Michelle Gellar and the rest of the class. "There was a whole thing about it being in Entertainment Weekly and the crew wasn't informed and everybody was unhappy, and I was just like, 'There was somebody who didn't know?' Some of the actors were upset and I said, 'You guys I've talked to specifically about this,'" Whedon said in an interview with Chud.com (via News.com.au).
Alyson Hannigan has also attempted to add some context to her previous comments about Gellar, explaining that she wasn't trying to shade her co-star when she said Gellar was definitely tired of the show by the time it ended. Gellar "worked 18-hour days for years," Hannigan told HuffPostLive. "...She was the most tired because she worked the hardest." Hannigan said Gellar "was incredibly professional, worked her butt off for seven years, and gave amazing television."
Need further proof that all is well between Buffy and Willow? According to People, Hannigan invited her TV bestie to her daughter's birthday celebration in 2015. Gellar tweeted about the "awesome party" and shared a cute selfie of the two posing with a balloon giraffe. Just don't hold your breath for a TV reunion or "Buffy" reboot starring these two. In 2021, Gellar declared she was too old to slay vampires again.