Sarah Michelle Gellar Says Shannen Doherty Is 'Different Person' After Charmed Drama

Sarah Michelle Gellar says she "was there" for Shannen Doherty's purported behind-the-scenes drama with Charmed co-star Alyssa Milano, saying that the experience changed her longtime friend, but she's proud of her now for "sharing her truths."

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shannen Doherty may not have shared the screen, but they still found themselves with similar experiences as stars of two of The (defunct) WB's hottest supernatural teen shows.

They also struck up a fast friendship, which is how Gellar says she "was there for" the purported behind-the-scenes drama with Charmed co-star Alyssa Milano that Doherty says led to her exit from the series. Milano has denied having any involvement with her departure.

Charmed was on the air from 1998 until 2006, with Doherty, Milano and Holly Marie Combs as the main cast of three sisters. After three seasons, Doherty's character was abruptly gone from the series, with Rose McGowan replacing her as a long-lost half sister.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired from 1997 to 2003, with both shows having rabid fan bases with a great deal of crossover. This means that between convention appearances and press tours, the casts had the opportunity to get to know one another well.

Gellar and Doherty quickly became fast friends and have remained close to this day. "It was a difficult time," Gellar told E! News about Doherty's surprise exit from her show.

But she has nothing but praise for her friend today, as Doherty battles stage 4 breast cancer. "I think Shannen's just about sharing her truths in general right now," she said. "What's amazing about her is, flaws and all, she's showing it all."

"I will support her," she added. "I know it wasn't the easiest time, but she's a different person now."

Speaking of their long friendship, Gellar says that it's "grown because we've grown. We've had experiences and life is complicated. And we've been able to experience it together, so then you grow together."

That bond went to the next level when she and her family with husband Freddie Prinze Jr. found themselves going on an impromptu "adventure" with Doherty during the pandemic

"I remember one day, we were doing Zoom school and all our power went out," Gellar recalled. "And I was like, 'Let's go to Shannon's.' And then Shannon's power went out."

Ultimately, the families hit the road in a camper van that Doherty had rented. "Those were great moments," she said of the experience.

Gellar isn't the only one who has Doherty's back in her version of what happened behind the scenes at Charmed. After Milano denied Doherty's version of events earlier this month, both Combs and McGowan defended their fictional sister.

In an Instagram video posted February 5 made of screenshots of Combs' lengthy statement, the Pretty Little Liars actress said she was "disappointed" in her former costar, Milano, after she denied claims that she got Doherty fired from the hit WB series -- claims Combs made while appearing on Doherty's podcast last month.

"I feel the need to defend myself after the many continuing attacks that have ensued since Alyssa stepped out on the stage and essentially called Shannen and I liars when she was simply asked what it was like to work with Rose," Combs began.

In her statement Monday, Combs reaffirmed that their recollection is "not revisionist history," which Milano previously referred to their versions as.

She continued, "This is just the history [Milano] didn't want people to know about. And the history Shannen wasn't ready to talk about until one month ago. No one should have to lie about their own life for the comfort of another."

While Combs said she "long wanted the girls to just get along for the sake of something bigger than all of [them] combined," she realized after this weekend that it was "not in the cards" for this group.

Elsewhere in the video statement, the actress explained how "ironic" it was that Milano claimed she did not "have the power to fire anyone" when she said the situation was in fact "all about power."

"Let me explain what she did have the power to do," Combs wrote. "She had the power to stop the process at any time. She had the power to not talk to the mediator/therapist brought on to protect profits."

"And when producers said ok we will let Shannen go, Alyssa also had the power to say no I don't want that. But she did not. She had the power to say no just as Shannen had said no I don't want you to replace Alyssa when posed with the same option," she continued.

McGowan, who equally defended Doherty during the trio's separate panel appearance at the MegaCon convention over the weekend, chimed in in the comments, lending her support to Combs.

"I love your big black heart and respect you, HMC. I love what the show has meant to people worldwide. Sometimes a mess has to be made for things to be cleaned up. This for me is way bigger than a tv show, it goes to years of continuous behind the scenes character assassination and targeted reputation smearing because of narcissistic pathological jealousy," McGowan wrote.

"I wish none of it had to be this way," she continued. "I remain proud of everyone involved for the magic we wove and the magic created worldwide. Truth is uncomfortable, but magic never dies ❤️."

"We told it together," said Doherty. "We told our truths, and we are standing by our truths. There is no revisionist history happening in the truth that I know we told ... I recall the facts as if I were still living in them. And what I will say is that what somebody else may call 'drama' is an actual trauma for me, that I have been living through it for an extremely long time."

The actress continued, "It is only through my battle with cancer that I decided to address this trauma and be open and honest about it so that I can actually heal from a livelihood that was taken from me, a livelihood that was taken away from my family, because someone else wanted to be No. 1 on the call sheet. That is the truth."

As for Milano, she was vehement in her claims that it was Charmed's network and show creator, Aaron Spelling who made the final decision on Doherty's firing -- not her.

"I think I've been very upfront and taken accountability for and apologized for whatever part I played in the situation," she later admitted. "I have been very forthcoming about that. I don't know how else to fix it."