The hit sitcom “Three’s Company” provided plenty of laughs from its truly grown-up situations during its run on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The adventures of puritanical roommates Jack Tripper (John Ritter), Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers) entertained fans for eight seasons. A lot of changes took place over the seven years, and sometimes controversially on set.
This included the roommates losing their original host group, the Ropers (Audra Lindley and Norman Fell), to a short-lived spin-off and being replaced by the impeccably dressed Ralph Furley (Don Knotts). Chrissy also left the show after Somers was fired in Season 4 and was replaced by Jenilee Harrison as Chrissy’s cousin Cindy. Harrison, in turn, was replaced in Season 6 by Priscilla Barnes, who played Teri Alden until the show’s finale.
That’s a lot of changes for a single sitcom. But those weren’t the show’s only shockers. In 2012, DeWitt confirmed rumors about her late co-star Ritter and his behavior on set.
DeWitt has alluded to Ritter’s on-set relationships.
In a 2012 interview on “Suzanne Somers: Breaking Through” (archived on YouTube), Somers and Joyce DeWitt opened up about life behind the scenes of “Three’s Company.”
While both actresses said there was never any romantic relationship between the cast, DeWitt said the same was not true of the show’s guest stars and John Ritter. “To be honest, I didn’t know [about the on-set romance], and I didn’t think so.
But years later, I found out there was a little bit of a ‘huh-huh’ going on.” DeWitt was a little hesitant to admit what she knew to Somers, but stated, “I can’t really say, but I think Jonathan and a lot of our guests were.” The former “Three’s Company” star’s revelation shocked Somers, but she continued to add her own juicy gossip to help clarify the situation.
“Well, John was horny. I mean, like, the horniest guy I’ve ever known, but it all seemed so harmless,” Somers said, later noting that she didn’t see anything happen during her time on the show.
“Well, it was years later that I found out, but then I heard a couple of stories about the guest stars, and I was shocked because they were really discreet,” DeWitt shared, expressing her surprise at the stories, as she had no idea that any physical affection took place during filming.
Part of DeWitt’s surprise may have stemmed from the fact that Ritter was married at least part of the time she was on the sitcom. According to a 2003 People article, the actor married Nancy Morgan in 1977. They divorced in 1996, and he married actress Amy Yasbeck in 1999. They remained together until his death at age 54, according to The Chicago Tribune.
