Conflicts between actors, sexual harassment, sordid news items … Zoom on seven scandals that splashed the cult series of the 2000s.
1. The Vanity Fair photoshoot of the “Desperate Housewives” actresses
Launched in the fall of 2004 on American television, Desperate Housewives was an immediate success. The series propelled – or re-propelled for some – its five star actresses to the height of fame, so much so that in the course of the year 2005, they were invited to make the cover of the American magazine. Vanity Fair. Unfortunately things did not go as planned.
For starters, an employee of the American chain ABC allegedly asked the team not to let Teri Hatcher choose her outfit first, nor be placed in the center of the group photo. Nevertheless, the actress arrived early that day to choose her clothes and had even contacted the stylist a few days earlier. Marcia Cross would not then have supported that her co-star receives preferential treatment or that she finds herself in the middle of the photo.
Finally, the middle place went to Nicollette Sheridan and the actresses of Desperate Housewives never did photoshoots together again. And again, this is only the first of a long line of scandals to have hit the Marc Cherry series.
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The cast of the series “Desperate Housewives” with, from left to right, Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Nicollette Sheridan. © ABC
The Desperate Housewives series is available in full on Salto and on the Star section of Disney +.
2. The accusations of sexual harassment against the creator of “Brothers Scott”
Cult series for a whole generation of teenagers in the 2000s, The Scott brothers has been tarnished by a dark affair. On November 12, 2017, screenwriter Audrey Wauchope revealed that she had been sexually harassed by Mark Schwahn, the creator of Brothers Scott, when she was working on the series. Further testimonials from members of the production and cast crew, including actresses Hilarie Burton and Danneel Harris, followed.
A total of 18 people denounced the behavior of Mark Schwahn in an open letter. Other scandals have subsequently splashed The Scott brothers, like the fact that the creator of the series had one day put his hand on Sophia Bush’s buttocks on the set or that he put pressure on the actress to appear in her underwear on the screen.
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Mark Schwahn, creator of the “The Brothers Scott” series, has been accused of sexual harassment by several members of the team including star actress Hilarie Burton. © The CW
The Scottish Brothers series is available in full on Amazon Prime Video and on Salto.
3. The conflict between Patrick Dempsey and Isaiah Washington on the set of “Grey’s Anatomy”
Actors fired, arguments … We can say that the series Grey’s Anatomy has faced its share of scandals. One of the most important is the row that broke out, behind the scenes, between two of the main actors: Patrick Dempsey and Isaiah Washington. The latter would have made homophobic remarks against another of his co-stars, TR Knight, which would have put the interpreter of Derek Shepherd beside him.
Thus, a big conflict would have broken out between the two actors, which ended in the dismissal of Isaiah Washington at the end of the third season of Grey’s Anatomy. The interpreter of Preston Burke nevertheless returned briefly in season 10.
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A conflict erupted between Patrick Dempsey (left) and Isaiah Washington (right) after the latter made homophobic remarks about TR Knight (center). © ABC
Grey’s Anatomy seasons 1 through 16 are available on Amazon Prime Video, Salto, and the Star section of Disney +.
4. The participation of Allison Mack, actress of “Smallville”, in a sect of sex slaves
As well as Charmed Where Buffy the vampire slayer, Smallville is part of these cult series broadcast during the Saturday Trilogy on M6 in France. Worn by Tom Welling, it lasted ten seasons in total and bowed out in 2011. A few years after the series ended, a huge scandal hit one of its main actresses: Allison Mack.
In November 2017, the interpreter of Chloe Sullivan in Smallville is accused of being part of the NXIVM sect and of recruiting women to become sex slaves. According to American justice, she works for Keith Raniere, the guru of the sect.
In June 2021, Allison Mack was sentenced to three years in prison for her participation in the DOS sect, a small circle inside NXIVM. The actress, who faced up to 20 years in prison for extortion and criminal conspiracy, managed to get a lesser sentence for the“Substantial aid” she brought in the case against cult leader Keith Raniere. The latter was sentenced to 120 years in prison.
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Allison Mack was sentenced to three years in prison for her participation in a cult of sex slaves. © The CW
The Smallville series is available in full on Amazon Prime Video.
5. The actresses of “90210 Beverly Hills: New Generation” considered too skinny
If the 90s were punctuated by the scandals surrounding Beverly Hills 90210, his little sister 90210 Beverly Hills: Next Generation has also made the headlines. In September 2008, just after the launch of the series, the actresses were singled out for their thinness in the American press.
“I never saw Jessica Stroup or Shenae Grimes eat. It’s not good. If they are that skinny on TV, just imagine what they look like in real life. ” entrusts a source to the American weekly Us Weekly. The magazine reports that Jessica Stroup weighs 45kg for 1.74m while Shenae Grimes would weigh 40kg for 1.60m.
The stars of 90210 are then accused of setting a bad example for teenage girls, who are the core target of the series. AnnaLynne McCord, one of the star actresses, is speaking out in this affair and setting the record straight. “We eat in each other’s lodges. I’ve seen them enjoy pork ribs and mashed potatoes, just like me. ” Naomi Clark’s interpreter says about her co-stars.
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The actresses of “90210 Beverly Hills: Next Generation” starring, left to right, Shenae Grimes, AnnaLynne McCord and Jessica Stroup. © The CW
The 90210 Beverly Hills: Next Generation series is available in full on MYTF1.
6. The arrest of Mark Salling, star of the “Glee” series, for child pornography
Released in 2009, the musical series Glee has been a real phenomenon since its launch, unlike many cult series that flop when they start. Unfortunately it was marred by a dark affair when, on December 29, 2015, one of its main actors Mark Salling was arrested for possession of child pornography images.
The interpreter of Noah Puckerman in Glee pleads guilty in 2017 and faces between four to seven years in prison. While his trial is supposed to take place in March 2018, Mark Salling is found dead, by hanging, on January 30, 2018.
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Mark Salling, Noah Puckerman’s performer in “Glee,” committed suicide shortly before his trial for possession of images of child pornography. © Fox
The Glee series is available in full on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and the Star section of Disney +.
7. The tweet about the rape after the broadcast of an episode of “Plus Belle La Vie”
Since its launch on August 30, 2004 on France 3, More beautiful life has established itself as a pillar of French television. But, over the years, the series could not escape some controversy. During an episode aired on February 25, 2016 on France 3, viewers witness a scene where Coralie is raped by her companion Mathieu. After that, a poll was posted on the official Twitter account of More beautiful life.
“What did you think of the marital rape scene that aired last night? ” is asked of subscribers of the PBLVOofficiel account, with three possible answers: “I was horrified”, “Coralie looked for it” and “It’s not a rape”. This publication, in very bad taste, scandalized Internet users who revolted through social networks.
Following this slippage, a message of apology was shared on the Twitter account of More beautiful life : “We are sorry if we have hurt follower sensitivity with an inappropriately worded survey. The soap opera will provide an answer through the plot set up with associations that work on supporting victims of marital rape. We reiterate our apologies to viewers and to @ France3tv for this inappropriate and reprehensible poll. “
