Joyce DeWitt (Janet), John Ritter (Jack), Suzanne Somers (Chrissy) star in Three’s Company.
Three’s Company was one of the biggest shows of the 1970s and ’80s.
It followed the misadventures of Janet (Joyce DeWitt) and Chrissy (Suzanne Somers) and their new roommate Jack (John Ritter). The show centred on a man pretending to be gay and living with two women, with their nosy landlord Stanley Roper (Norman Fell) never too far away.
The series ran from 1976 to 1984. But despite the cast being close on screen, behind-the-scenes couldn’t be more different.
Somers, according to People, was fired in 1980 because she asked for equal pay to co-star John Ritter.
After she was fired, Ritter and DeWitt stopped talking to their former co-star –with it taking decades for them all to make up.
After Suzanne Somers’ shock death on October 15 after a 50-year battle with aggressive breast cancer, 9Honey Celebrity takes a look at one of the longest rifts in showbiz history.
Suzanne Somers as Chrissy Snow: Then
Suzanne Somers played Chrissy Snow on the hit sitcom. She worked in a law office as a receptionist, and Somers really embraced the ditzy character and made it her own.
As the series went on, Chrissy emerged as the breakout character in the show, with Somers’ gaining superstar status away from set too – in 1978 alone, the actress appeared on 50 magazine covers.
However, in the show’s fifth season, Somers was axed from the series following a bitter salary dispute with the producers – she reportedly wanted a pay increase from USD$30,000 (approx. AU $47,000) per episode to USD$150,000 (approx. AU $237,000).
But producers would not budge so Somers was written out of the show and replaced with Jenilee Harrison, who played Chrissy’s cousin, Cindy Snow.
She told People: “The show’s response was, ‘Who do you think you are?,'” Somers told the publication.
“They said, ‘John Ritter is the star.'”
Suzanne Somers: Now
Somers capitalised on her fame from the sitcom and ventured into different industries. She became a spokesperson for Thigh Master in the ’80s and focused on fitness endeavours.
In the late ’80s, she then scored the lead in the comedy She’s the Sheriff, but the show ended after two seasons. Somers made another comeback in 1990 with the fan favourite Step By Step, playing alongside Dallas star Patrick Duffy.
She told InStyle in 2020 about being fired from the hit show, saying she struggled to find work afterwards but is glad she stood her ground for equal pay.
“Well, I was fired for asking to be paid commensurate with the men,” she told the publication.
“I was ahead of the curve on that. The men on the show were being paid 10 to 15 times more, and I thought, ‘Why? Are they 10 to 15 times better than me?'”
Suzanne Somers: Now
Somers capitalised on her fame from the sitcom and ventured into different industries. She became a spokesperson for Thigh Master in the ’80s and focused on fitness endeavours.
In the late ’80s, she then scored the lead in the comedy She’s the Sheriff, but the show ended after two seasons. Somers made another comeback in 1990 with the fan favourite Step By Step, playing alongside Dallas star Patrick Duffy.
She told InStyle in 2020 about being fired from the hit show, saying she struggled to find work afterwards but is glad she stood her ground for equal pay.
“Well, I was fired for asking to be paid commensurate with the men,” she told the publication.
“I was ahead of the curve on that. The men on the show were being paid 10 to 15 times more, and I thought, ‘Why? Are they 10 to 15 times better than me?'”
In 2017, Somers told Fox News about the call Ritt made to make up – just a month before his death.
Ritt died in 2003 at the age of 54 after suffering an aortic dissection.
“I go to the phone. I said, ‘John?'” she told the outlet.
“He said, ‘Hey babe,’ and I knew his voice right away. And then he said, ‘I forgive you.’ I had a moment of, ‘Uh, you forgive me?’ And then I thought, ‘Be the grownup.’ And so I said, ‘Thanks.'”
The pair then spoke about a collaboration/onscreen reunion of some sort, but it never came to fruition.
Suzanne Somers
Somers’ death was announced on Monday.
The American star died on October 15 aged 76, one day before her 77th birthday, after a 50-year battle with aggressive breast cancer.
Page Six first reported the news this morning with a statement shared by the Three’s Company‘s star’s longtime publicist R. Couri Hay. People later confirmed the tragedy.
“She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years,” Hay said in his statement to the outlet.
“Suzanne was surrounded by her loving husband Alan, her son Bruce, and her immediate family.”
Somers was first diagnosed with breast cancer in her 50s.
She had previously battled skin cancer in her 30s, and before that, she battled two hyperplasia in her 20s.
In August, Somers revealed her breast cancer had returned.
John Ritter as Jack Tripper: Then
John Ritter played Jack Tripper in the sitcom – and he was a ‘tripper’ by name and nature with the clumsy chef often experiencing a series of mishaps.
Ritter began his acting career in the ’70s in the drama series Dan August, which also starred Burt Reynolds in the titular role and Norman Fell, who would go on to become Ritter’s castmate in Three’s Company.
But no doubt Ritter’s big break came when he took on the role of Jack Tripper in the hit series, which earned him a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination.
In the ’90s, Ritter ventured into movies starring in films such as Problem Child, Bride of Chucky and It.
He returned to sitcoms in 2002, taking the lead role in 8 Simple Rules. He continued to work on the series right up until his death in 2003 when he experienced chest pains on set and was rushed to hospital, where he died at just 54.
The actor is survived by his wife actress Amy Yasbeck and their son Noah, and his three adult children from his previous marriage to actress Nancy Morgan: Jason, Tyler and Carly.
Joyce DeWitt as Janet Wood: Then
Joyce DeWitt played wannabe dancer and florist Janet Wood. Her calm personality was just what her wild household needed, especially clumsy housemate Jack Tripper.
Throughout filming the series, DeWitt told producers she wasn’t comfortable showing off her bare legs on television and constantly wore pantyhose. Her filming protocol annoyed producers but worked in DeWitt’s favour as she later scored a deal with a hosiery manufacturer L’eggs and became their spokeswoman.
DeWitt experienced success early in her career with Three’s Company. When the series wrapped, she took a break from acting to travel the world. She did return to acting, although she focused on stage productions but still made guest appearances on shows such as Cybill and Hope Island.
The actress made headlines in 2009 after she was reportedly arrested in California on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Today, the 74-year-old works closely with charities that help the homeless and hungry.
Norman Fell as Stanley Roper: Then
Norman Fell was Stanley Roper, the nightmare landlord who lived downstairs from Apartment 201. He was unpleasant and stuck his nose in everyone’s business.
Just before filming Three’s Company, Fell played Mr McCleery in the 1967 movie The Graduate – and it’s clear he drew inspiration from this character when bringing Stanley Roper to life.
Fans loved Roper so much, the network gave him his own spin-off, The Ropers.
The actor went on to have a 50-year acting career. He appeared in hits such as Murder, She Wrote, Matlock and Magnum, P.I., working right up until his death in 1998.
He died aged 74 after battling bone marrow cancer.
Audra Lindley as Helen Roper: Then
Audra Lindley was Stanley Roper’s wife, Helen Roper. Like old married couples, they would bicker about everything, particularly about their non-existent love life.
Audra Lindley
Lindley began her career in the ’40s but did not make a mark until the ’60s when she was cast on the US soap opera Another World.
In recent years, Lindley worked on the hit series Friends, playing the grandma of Lisa Kudrow’s character, Phoebe Buffay. Her last TV role was playing Cybill Shepherd’s mother in the show, Cybill.
Lindley died in 1997 from complications from leukemia. She was 79.
