Television Couples We Love That Actually Hated Each Other In Real Life
If you're invested in a television show, it's easy to forget that the characters are just actors getting paid to play a role. While characters may hold specific views or feel a certain way about another character, the actors could feel the exact opposite off-screen. This is especially the case for television couples, who make their relationship seem so genuine even though they may despise each other in real life. Now, prepare to have your world shattered and see which of these iconic TV couples actually hated each other in real life.
Nina Dobrev And Ian Somerhalder: The Vampire Diaries
While filming The Vampire Diaries, actors Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder dated in real life as their characters Elena and Damon did on the show. So, when their relationship ended in a messy breakup, things got even worse between them...since their characters were still dating on the show.
This created some unavoidable tension and awkwardness while since pretending to be dating someone you just broke up with doesn't exactly sound fun. Nina Dobrev eventually left the show although she claimed that "We were friends long before we dated and we still are now."
Shelly Long And Ted Danson: Cheers
While Shelley Long may have claimed that she left the show due to creative differences, it was later revealed otherwise. Apparently, she and Ted Danson were not getting along at all, even though their characters were engaged on the show.
This is most likely why her character Diane left Danson's character Sam Malone at their wedding in the finale of Season 5. Despite the rumors surrounding their relationship, Long admitted that they butted heads but insists that the two got along for the most part.
Jennifer Aniston And David Schwimmer: Friends
For a decade, countless fans followed the lives of six friends living in New York. All of the chemistry on the show seemed so genuine and organic that nobody could imagine there were feuds behind the scenes. However, it seems that Jennifer Aniston who played Rachel and David Schwimmer who played Ross didn't exactly get along even though they were involved romantically on the show.
In 2010, Jennifer Aniston admitted on The Late Show that Schwimmer had been engaged but had not told Aniston to whom. This annoyed Aniston and created a major rift between the two. Aniston didn't even invite Schwimmer to her wedding to Justin Theroux.
Naya Rivera And Mark Salling: Glee
Much like Nina and Ian from The Vampire Diaries, on the early seasons of Glee, actors Naya Rivera and Mark Salling were actually dating on-screen and off. This hasn't worked out for others in the past and it definitely didn't work out for them either. Supposedly, Salling cheated on Rivera, resulting in her keying his car.
After their relationship ended bitterly, their characters Santana and Puck were forced to continue their on-and-off relationship on the show. After Salling was later arrested on child pornography charges, Rivera wrote in her memoir that she wasn't exactly surprised. Salling tragically died of suicide in January 2018.
Jean Hagen And Danny Thomas: Make Room For Daddy
For the first three seasons of the ABC sitcom Make Room For Daddy, Danny Thomas' character, Danny Williams, was married to Jean Hagen's character Margaret. The two appeared to have excellent chemistry on the show with Danny's character being the breadwinner and Jean's being a stay-at-home-mom.
However, it was rumored that the two would frequently argue when filming and eventually became distant. By the third season, Hagen was so sick of the show and Thomas that she insisted that her character be killed off so she could leave as soon as possible.
Vivian Vance And William Frawley: I Love Lucy
Characters Fred and Ethel Mertz, played by William Frawley and Vivian Vance, were Ricky and Lucy's couple counterparts. Although their relationship was beloved by the show's fans, in reality, the two despised each other.
One of the biggest issues was that Vance was 22 years younger than Frawley, and protested saying that nobody would believe the two were married. She also complained that Frawley was a grouch, making him painful to be around. She hated him so much that when she heard he died, she ordered celebratory champagne at the restaurant she was at.
Jason Alexander And Heidi Swedberg: Seinfled
In Seinfeld, Heidi Swedberg plays Susan, George's love interest, while George is played by Jason Alexander. The two have an on-again-off-again relationship although they eventually get engaged. Yet, at the end of Season 7, Heidi suddenly dies after licking too many poisonous envelopes.
Fans were confused by her unanticipated death. Later, it was revealed that Jason Alexander hated working with Heidi, even describing her as "impossible." According to Alexander, it wasn't so much her personality as it was her working methods that led the whole Seinfeld cast to beg to have her written off the show.
Staba Katic And Nathan Fillion: Castle
Who knew that the stars of the crime show Castle were far from friendly? It turns out that unless the two were in front of the camera doing their jobs, they refused to speak to each other unless they absolutely had to. Their hatred got so out of hand that Katic eventually broke down, leading the producers to force the actors into actual couples therapy.
However, it's important to take note of their professionalism, as both played their parts well without hinting whatsoever at their hatred for each other off-screen.
Ellen Pompeo And Patrick Dempsy: Grey's Anatomy
Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey's characters Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd may have been one of television's most adored lovers. Yet, behind the scenes, the two were far from friends.
Apparently, for years, the showrunners were pitting them against each other, threatening Pompeo that if she didn't renew her contract they were just going to run with Dempsey. Although they never discussed it together, they both knew what was going on. This created a rift between the two of them, making them competitors more so than friends.
Gillian Anderson And David Duchovny: The X-Files
Although many people don't want to believe it, the beloved agents Scully and Mulder weren't close off the show, at all. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny have actually been relatively open about their tenuous relationship as actors. Anderson even once admitted that "There were periods when we hated each other." During her acceptance speech at the Emmys, she didn't even mention her co-star, making the status of their relationship rather open.
However, regardless of their true feelings for each other, they have continued working together on other X-Files projects with Duchovny stating "[We] have a successful working relationship and that's the best way to go about this job."
Lauren Graham And Scott Patterson: Gilmore Girls
Lorelai and Luke may have been everyone's favorite couple in Stars Hollow. Although they started out as friends, fans got to watch their relationship blossom over the course of the series, becoming one of television's favorite couples.
But although the two tried to deny any animosity off-screen, it was revealed that the two weren't close, or friends at all. When Lauren Graham was asked if she and Scott Patterson were friends, her answer was a straight "No." The couple's relationship on the show was truly just an act.
Mila Kunis And Ashton Kutcher: That 70s Show
Even though Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are married today, while acting as a couple in That '70s Show, their relationship was not all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows. When they first met each other playing Jackie and Kelso, the two couldn't stand each other.
Luckily, their characters were known to get into arguments frequently, so they were able to blow off steam at each other that way. However, their animosity towards each other was understandable since Mila was only 15 and Ashton was 20 when the show started. Yet, they surprised the show's other costars when they began dating for real later in life. Today, they're married with two kids!
Patti LuPone And Bill Smitrovich: Life Goes On
ABC's Life Goes On followed the lives of the Thatcher family with Patti LuPone and Bill Smitrovich playing the roles of parents Libby and Drew Thatcher. While the show had many groundbreaking themes such as developmental disorders like Down Syndrome and HIV, LuPone and Mitrovich couldn't force themselves to like each other.
In LuPone's autobiography, she described their relationship as "oil and water" and went so far as to call him a "self-absorbed bully." Aside from their dialogue on the show, the two didn't talk let alone look at each other off of the set, something they were both happy to do.
Julie McCullough And Kirk Cameron: Growing Pains
In Season 4 of Growing Pains, Kirk Cameron's character, Mike Seaver, fell in love with Julie McCollough's, named Julie Costello. The two were on their way to getting married until McCollough was fired after filming just eight episodes of the fourth season. Apparently, Cameron, who is a born-again Evangelical Christian, was uncomfortable that McCollough had posed nude for Playboy four years before she acted on Growing Pains.
Ten years later, Cameron finally apologized, feeling responsible for her being fired. However, he went back on his apology claiming that it was for storyline purposes. But the fact that McCollough's character was replaced with Cameron's then-girlfriend and now-wife raises suspicion.
Selma Blair And Charlie Sheen: Anger Management
In Anger Management, Selma Blair and Charlie Sheen play therapist Sr. Kate Wales and Charlie Goodson. Although the two were in a love-hate romantic and professional relationship in the show, it was all hate for Blair in real life.
Producer of Two and a Half Men, Chuck Lore, already had major issues with Sheen, so it was no surprise that his co-star on Anger Management would have issues as well. Apparently, Blair was fed-up with Sheen's behavior, especially when it came to his professionalism on set. Blair also claims that she was fired from the show via text message which didn't help matters.
Chad Michael Murray And Sophia Bush: One Tree Hill
Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush were no different from other young acting couples who are together in real life and as characters in a show. The chemistry between them on One Tree Hill appeared real because it was, for a little while. As their characters Lucas and Brooke fell in love, so did the two actors who dated for five months before getting married in 2005.
By 2006, the relationship had fallen apart and the two were divorced. While their characters still got along, the couple had a hard time working together and tensions were high. Today, Bush has no issue proclaiming her distaste for her ex-husband.
Joan Collins And John Forsythe: Dynasty
In the 1980s drama-filled soap opera Dynasty, Joan Collins and John Forsythe played the divorced couple Blake Carrington and Alexis Colby. Their heated relationship on the show was a major plot point, however, it seems to have carried over behind the scenes.
Supposedly, John Forsythe never "warmed" to Joan Collins, with one of the reasons being that his character hated her so much on-screen. Apparently, the two never spoke once for an entire season outside of their dialogue on the show. This led to Collins resenting him in some ways as well.
Tarek And Christina El Moussa: Flip Or Flop
Even though Flip or Flop is a reality TV show, it doesn't mean that they put on a facade about their relationship to their viewers. While the couple appeared to be happily married on the show, in 2017 they announced that they were getting divorced, claiming health issues as the reason.
Even though the couple has split-up relationship-wise, they are still working together professionally on the hit HGTV show. Although they appear to be moving on in the show, it's clear that their current situation is causing tension between the two off-screen.
Johnny Galecki And Kaley Cuoco: The Big Bang Theory
Actress Kaley Cuoco played Penny who dated Johnny Galecki's character Leonard on The Big Bang Theory. Not only were they a couple on the show, but in real life as well. In the show, Penny is attracted to Leonard for his intelligence, whereas Leonard likes Penny because of her popularity. However, her popularity in real life proved to be the downfall of their actual relationship.
After breaking up, Cuoco went on to date equestrian Karl Cook in a rather scandalous manner and proceeded to alienate herself from the rest of the cast with her pompous attitude. Now, while they still play a cute couple, they are friends no more.
Ben McKenzie And Mischa Barton: The OC
In The OC, Ryan, played by Ben McKenzie, finds himself dating a rich girl in Orange County named Marissa, played by Mischa Barton. A troubled teenager in the show, she was experiencing some issues of her own in life off-screen.
While acting on the show, she was arrested for driving under the influence and possession of marijuana. Her struggles with addiction and her behavior created serious strain between her and McKenzie's relationship off-set. Even on the show, their relationship was so dysfunctional that Marissa was eventually killed off. After the show, the two parted ways and no longer keep in touch.
