Ed O’Neill reveals the ‘ incident’ which started his feud with Amanda Bearse | Hollywood helobaba.com
Ed O’Neill, the iconic Al Bundy from “Married … With Children,” spilled the beans on the bitter fallout with his co-star Amanda Bearse. Here’s the lowdown on what caused the rift, straight from the actor’s own words on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s “Dinner’s On Me” podcast.
Regret over TV Guide snub
O’Neill, 77, opened up about a regrettable incident involving Bearse. He confessed, “I did a thing on the show that involved Amanda Bearse that I regretted.” The root of the issue? A TV Guide cover shoot.
A missing TV Guide moment
The actor revealed that their feud sparked when Bearse and David Garrison were left out of the TV Guide cover featuring the cast. The reason? “Because they had a rule: only so many could be on the cover,” O’Neill explained.
Exceptional exceptions
O’Neill pointed out that TV Guide made exceptions for other shows like ‘MASH’ and ‘Dallas.’ However, “That was an exception, they weren’t doing it for us,” he noted, adding a layer of frustration to the situation.
The quiet standoff
Bearse wanted O’Neill to stand up for her and the excluded co-stars. However, O’Neill admitted he remained silent out of fear of losing the cover altogether. “We were lucky to get it,” he emphasized.
The unfulfilled expectation
Recalling the moment when Bearse confronted him, O’Neill shared, “‘We expect you to go to [co-creator] Ron Leavitt and tell him this doesn’t work. We’re all on the cover.’” Unfortunately, O’Neill didn’t fulfill that expectation.
Expressing regret, O’Neill admitted that he would change how he handled the situation if he could go back in time. A missed opportunity to support his co-stars on a monumental TV Guide cover.
8. The TV Guide Cover in 1989
Despite the rift, O’Neill eventually posed for the TV Guide cover in 1989 with his co-stars Katey Sagal, Christina Applegate, and David Faustino. The show, “Married … With Children,” went on to run for an impressive 11 seasons from 1987 to 1997.
