Jennie Garth has opened up about the circumstances surrounding Shannen Doherty‘s controversial exit from “Beverly Hills 90210.”
In an episode of Dax Shepard‘s podcast “Armchair Expert,” she discussed the “struggles” Doherty faced on and off the set.
Jennie Garth: Doherty Could Do “Whatever She Wants”
GettyDoherty was written off the show in the fourth season, amid rumors of unprofessionalism and erratic behaviour behind the scenes.
“I did get to read a little bit about things that were going on,” Shepard said to Garth. “She was perpetually late, didn’t care when she was late… she cut her hair in the middle of an episode. I think that was the final straw.”
“I think there was some decisions just to be like, ‘F*** you, I can do what I want,'” Garth shared. “And I was watching from the sidelines going, ‘Wow. She really can do whatever she wants.’ Like, that’s so cool.”
Garth said that as “a fellow Aries,” and as “both incredibly independent women,” she could understand Doherty’s behavior.
“We don’t like to be told what to do… and sometimes in the face of being told what we can’t do we’re like, ‘Oh really? Watch me,'” she said.
Doherty Faced “Struggles” Behind The Scenes
GettyGarth also opened up on the private turmoil Doherty was facing behind the scenes.
“She also had a dad with heart problems and she supported her family and took care of her family. They were her first priority at all times and there was a lot going on for her that no one knew about,” she told Shepard.
“There were all the struggles of trying to figure out how to have healthy relationships and be in her position… That confusion, I think, caused some defiance or anger, naturally… trying to control some things.”
However, Garth revealed that she understood Doherty more as the two grew older.
“When she was late it was annoying for everyone. We were all there on time, you know, ready when we were supposed to be ready, and the crew was waiting, that was hard to work with,” she admitted.
“And I didn’t know then a lot of what she was going through, until we became women and discussed it more openly. I heard her saying, ‘People didn’t really understand what I was going through at the time,’ and I never really considered that at that young age, but I did have this respect for her.”
Doherty Had Previously Admitted Struggles On Set
GettyIn an interview on her podcast, “Let’s Be Clear,” Doherty had previously opened up on the experience, per HuffPost.
“I was in a really horrible marriage and there were things transpiring in that marriage that made it very hard for me to consistently be on time for work,” she told former co-star Jason Priestly.
“I don’t think anybody knew that my dad was super sick, and I don’t think anybody knew that my husband [actor Ashley Hamilton] was a massive drug addict who would get incredibly violent at times, and that it was all-consuming for me.”
Although she had been facing personal problems, she still took responsibility for her exit from the show.
“It wasn’t anybody’s responsibility but mine,” she said, “But I certainly wish that I had been sort of sat down and sort of looked at and said ‘Listen, the end result is going to be this, you know? The end result is going to be you get fired because none of us are willing to put up with it anymore.'”
Doherty passed away on June 13, 2025, after battling breast cancer. The actress was 53.
