The hit sitcom “Three’s Company” mined a lot of laughs from some truly adult situations during its run on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The adventures of platonic roommates Jack Tripper (John Ritter), Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt), and Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers) entertained fans for eight seasons. A lot of changes occurred over the span of seven years, and controversy occasionally visited the show’s set. This included the roommates losing their first set of landlords, the Ropers (Audra Lindley and Norman Fell), to a short-lived spin-off and having them replaced by the nattily dressed Ralph Furley (Don Knotts). Chrissy, too, left the show in the wake of Somers’ firing during Season 4 and was replaced by Jenilee Harrison as Chrissy’s cousin, Cindy. Harrison, in turn, was replaced during Season 6 by Priscilla Barnes, who played Teri Alden until the show’s conclusion.
That’s a lot of changes for a single sitcom. But those weren’t the only shockers to hit the show. In 2012, DeWitt confirmed a rumor about her late castmate Ritter and his on-set behavior.
DeWitt once alluded to Ritter’s on-set romantic entanglements
During a 2012 interview on “Suzanne Somers: Breaking Through” (archived on YouTube), Somers and Joyce DeWitt dished about life behind the scenes on “Three’s Company.” While both actresses said that there were never any romantic assignations amongst the cast, DeWitt reported that the same wasn’t true for the show’s guest stars and John Ritter. “Well, quite frankly, I didn’t know [about on-set romances], and I didn’t think so. But years later, I did find out there was some ‘huh-huh’ going on.”
DeWitt was somewhat reluctant to confess what she knew to Somers but proclaimed, “Well, I can’t really say, but I think Jonathan and a lot of our guest stars.” The “Three’s Company” alum’s revelation left Somers in shock, but she went on to add her own tidbit of juicy gossip that helped paint a clearer picture of the situation. “Well, John was very horny. I mean, like, the horniest guy I’ve ever known, but it all seemed very innocent,” Somers said, later remarking that she didn’t see anything happening during her time on the show.
“Well, I didn’t know until years after, but I did hear a couple of stories about guest stars later, and I was in shock because they were really discreet,” DeWitt contributed, expressing her surprise over these tales, as she had no idea any canoodling was happening during the show’s filming.
Part of DeWitt’s surprise may stem from the fact that Ritter was married for at least part of his time on the sitcom. Per a 2003 People article, the actor married Nancy Morgan in 1977. They divorced in 1996, and he married actress Amy Yasbeck in 1999. They were still together at the time of his death at age 54, per The Chicago Tribune.
