Suzanne Somers Blames Chauvanism For "Three's Company"
Firing

Suzanne Somers took the nation by storm as the delightfully ditzy Chrissy Snow when "Three's Company" debuted in 1977. While John Ritter was the star of the show, Suzanne Somers found herself in the position of breakout fan favorite with the role of Chrissy, and it may well have been what led to her dismissal after five seasons. She talked about her experiences on "The Rosie Show" (Weeknights, 7 p.m. ET on OWN).

"I was persona non grata everywhere," Somers said of her prospects post-firing. "And I thought, what did I do so wrong to get fired?" As it turns out, what she did wrong might have been demanding equal payment for the women in the cast.

These days, when fans are familiar with infamous salary negotiations for television stars, the thought that gender inequality might be the norm could seem unusual. After all, the "Friends" cast famously fought for the same pay, and got it. Somers got the boot, and apparently blacklisted in Hollywood for her efforts.

"They had decided that John was the star of the show, which he was," Somers said of the producers at the time. "But did they know that the Fonz was going to break out, you know? Chrissy Snow broke out and the public spoke." But when Somers demanded a hefty pay increase for that popularity, she was reduced to an insanely limited role on the show, and then booted permanently.

Catch "The Rosie Show" every weeknight at 7 p.m. ET on OWN.

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