Tori Spelling and Shannen Doherty Recall How Their Friendship “Dissipated” During ‘90210’

Zoe G Phillips
·2 min read
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Tori Spelling and Shannen Doherty reunited this week to recall a falling out that the two of them had while working on Beverly Hills, 90210 — but neither of them could remember the cause.

Doherty hosted Spelling on her Let’s Be Clear podcast, sharing toward the beginning that the two friends were “trying to figure out” what led to friction between them during their time on the hit series.

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“It’s like one minute, we were friends, and then one minute we weren’t,” said Doherty, who played Brenda Walsh on 90210. Spelling, who played Donna Martin (and whose father, Aaron Spelling, produced the show) added that she was often easily swayed.

Doherty agreed. “It was very frustrating for me because I always used to tell you like, ‘Yeah, Tor, have an opinion,’” Doherty recalled. “Like, you’re smart, you’re funny, you’re talented. I loved you and I respected you and I wanted you to believe in yourself as much as I believed in you.”

Eventually, both women said that part of their tension came from Spelling’s then-boyfriend, who they described as “abusive” both “verbally” and “physically.”

“There was a point — I specifically remember looking at you and saying, ‘You have to end it with him, or I’m going to actually kill him. Like — I can’t stand by and watch this,’” Doherty said while recalling a trip they took to Mexico together. She later added that Spelling didn’t break up with him: “You stayed and you got tortured for a little bit longer.”

Doherty said that she and Spelling “started drifting apart” after the trip.

The women were in agreement that the Mexico incident was one of several that probably culminated in their separation. “There were so many really interesting moments about that time in the show and in our relationship,” Doherty said. “I can’t recall the exact rift but I’m thinking all of those things sort of collided at one time, and maybe it was just so much pressure from other people that you know, the friendship just dissipated. And then you gravitated towards others.”

For her part, Spelling added, “I think when I was young, it was whoever was the alpha more at the moment would sway me. And I think I couldn’t stand up for myself — I didn’t take ownership of anything. So it’s like, you know, nice, nice, nice to everyone. But it’s like you said, have a fucking opinion about something. And I’m sure I did.”

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