At 75, Joyce DeWitt Finally Reveals Why “Three’s Company” Fell Apart

For decades millions of fans believed they already knew what destroyed Three’s Company. Most blamed one actress one contract dispute and one decision that changed television history forever.

But as the years passed Joyce DeWitt began speaking more openly about what really happened behind the scenes.

And her version tells a far more complicated story. It wasn’t just about money. It was about friendships that quietly disappeared misunderstandings that lasted for more than three decades and a cast that never truly became the same again before everything changed.

When Three’s Company premiered on ABC almost no one expected it to become one of the biggest sitcoms on American television.

The premise was refreshingly simple. Jack Tripper played by John Ritter unexpectedly became roommates with Janet Wood played by Joyce DeWitt and Chrissy Snow played by Suzanne Somers.

Because their landlord refused to rent an apartment to an unmarried man living with two women Jack pretended to be gay to satisfy the building’s rules.

That unusual setup created endless misunderstandings awkward situations and physical comedy that quickly made the sitcom a favorite with viewers across the country.

For Joyce DeWitt the series completely changed her life. Before landing the role of Janet she was still trying to establish herself as an actress.

Unlike Suzanne Somers who had already gained some public attention after appearing in American Graffiti DeWitt entered the show without the same level of recognition.

Yet her character became the emotional balance of the series. Janet was intelligent practical and sarcastic enough to offset Chrissy’s innocence and Jack’s constant schemes.

It was a combination that gave the sitcom its unique rhythm and audiences responded immediately.

The cast also developed a working relationship that made the chemistry look completely natural. Years later Joyce DeWitt reflected on those early seasons during a reunion panel explaining that she John Ritter and Suzanne Somers were simply young performers willing to try almost anything if they believed it would make people laugh.

There were no elaborate stunt teams teaching them how to perform the show’s many falls collisions and physical comedy sequences.

According to DeWitt they largely invented those moments themselves. Looking back she joked We were just young and stupid.

We were willing to do anything we thought would get a laugh. She added that they had no stunt doubles no stunt trainers and no choreographers for many of those scenes.

Somehow they managed to survive years of demanding physical comedy without serious injuries. John Ritter later shared a similar perspective when speaking with Conan O’Brien.

Trying to explain why Three’s Company continued attracting viewers years after its original run Ritter compared the sitcom to Chinese food.

He joked that people would finish watching one episode and thirty minutes later be ready for another.

His point was simple. The comedy never tried to be complicated. It was built around timing chemistry and characters audiences genuinely enjoyed spending time with.

Behind the scenes however the success was beginning to create unexpected pressure. According to former ABC executive Sue Cameron Suzanne Somers had become the breakout star of the series.

Speaking to People Cameron said that while American Graffiti helped introduce Somers to Hollywood Three’s Company made her explode into stardom.

She really was the one Cameron recalled describing how quickly Somers became the public face of the sitcom.

That growing popularity created an uncomfortable reality inside the production. John Ritter remained the officially promoted lead actor and the network’s biggest priority.

Suzanne Somers was rapidly becoming one of television’s most recognizable women. Meanwhile Joyce DeWitt quietly continued doing exactly what she had always done delivering consistent performances that held the entire trio together.

At first none of those differences seemed dangerous. The ratings continued climbing. The cast kept making audiences laugh and ABC had one of the biggest hits on television.

But enormous success often changes expectations. As the show became more valuable questions about recognition contracts and compensation slowly emerged behind closed doors.

Those conversations would soon lead to one decision that changed not only the future of Three’s Company but also the relationships between the people who had made it such a remarkable success.

By the time Three’s Company became one of ABC’s highest rated sitcoms Suzanne Somers believed her contribution to the show’s success deserved to be recognized financially.

According to multiple interviews she later gave to People she was earning thirty thousand dollars per episode while John Ritter was making substantially more as the series officially recognized star.

Somers asked the network to increase her salary to one hundred fifty thousand dollars per episode matching Ritter’s pay.

Instead of opening negotiations she said the response was immediate and dismissive. Who do you think you are?

She recalled executives telling her John Ritter is the star. Years later her husband and longtime manager Alan Hamel revealed an even more troubling story.

Speaking to People after Somers’ death Hamel said he received a mysterious late night phone call from a man who claimed to have just left a meeting involving network executives.

According to Hamel the caller warned him that Suzanne had been chosen to become an example.

The man allegedly said executives wanted to stop female television stars from demanding salaries equal to their male counterparts.

Hamel never identified the caller but he maintained that Suzanne was fired the very next morning.

Looking back he believed the decision went far beyond one actress asking for more money.

The consequences spread quickly throughout the caSt. Chrissy Snow virtually disappeared from the series appearing only briefly through pre-recorded phone conversations before eventually leaving altogether.

ABC introduced Jenilee Harrison as Chrissy’s cousin Cindy Snow hoping viewers would embrace a similar character.

Later Priscilla Barnes joined the cast as Terri Alden. Although both actresses worked hard and earned the respect of fans neither replacement erased the memory of the original trio that had built the show’s enormous popularity.

For Joyce DeWitt the situation became deeply personal. She was not the person negotiating contracts.

Yet she suddenly found herself caught in the middle of one of television’s most public disputes.

In later interviews Suzanne Somers admitted she understood why tensions developed inside the caSt. During their reunion on Suzanne Somers’ Breaking Through she looked directly at DeWitt and said In a group of serious actors I probably pissed you all off.

If I did I’m really sorry. I just really needed money at the time. That honest admission would become the first step toward repairing a friendship that had been broken for more than three decades.

For many years Joyce DeWitt rarely discussed the conflict that surrounded Three’s Company. She did not write a tell-all memoir nor did she spend decades criticizing her former castmates in interviews.

Instead she chose silence. That silence led many fans to assume she blamed Suzanne Somers for everything that happened.

But when DeWitt finally began speaking publicly again her message surprised many people. Rather than focusing on contracts or money she focused on what had disappeared after the controversy the sense of joy that had once defined the show.

One of the most important moments came when DeWitt accepted Suzanne Somers’ invitation to appear on Suzanne Somers Breaking Through.

It was their first public conversation together in more than thirty years. Instead of reopening old wounds the discussion became an opportunity for both women to acknowledge the past without bitterness.

Suzanne apologized admitting that she probably upset everyone involved and explaining that she genuinely needed the money at the time.

Joyce did not argue. She simply responded that the reunion happened because it’s time. That answer reflected the way DeWitt had viewed the situation for decades.

She explained that whenever people asked her about Three’s Company she always gave the same response.

In her opinion the show’s greatest achievement was not its ratings awards or syndication success.

It was the fact that it gave millions of people a reason to laugh together.

She believed that was the legacy worth protecting not the backstage arguments that eventually overshadowed it.

Her actions in later years reinforced that philosophy. In interviews following Suzanne Somers’ death DeWitt never revisited the salary dispute or assigned blame.

Instead she expressed sympathy for Suzanne’s family describing them as deeply connected and caring. She also said she believed Suzanne had been welcomed by angels and hoped that faith would bring comfort to those she left behind.

It was a remarkably compassionate statement considering the history between them. Looking back Joyce DeWitt’s perspective suggests that Three’s Company did not collapse because one actress asked for more money.

The deeper damage came afterward when trust disappeared friendships dissolved and communication stopped. In the end the cast eventually found forgiveness but they could never recover the years that had already been loSt. That more than any contract dispute may have been the real price the show paid.

While much of the public remembered Joyce DeWitt only as Janet Wood her life after Three’s Company followed a very different path from many of her sitcom contemporaries.

Instead of chasing another hit television series she deliberately stepped away from Hollywood’s relentless pace.

After the sitcom ended she appeared briefly in Finder of Lost Loves before taking a long break from acting.

Many fans assumed she had retired but in reality she was simply choosing projects on her own terms rather than trying to recreate the success of Three’s Company.

When DeWitt returned to acting she focused primarily on theater where she believed the work itself mattered more than celebrity.

She performed in productions across the United States including Noises Off Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating Mating and Marriage and later Nunsense where she played Mother Superior.

In an interview with People she explained that she was no longer interested in being the main event.

Instead she wanted good roles and meaningful work. It was a philosophy that stood in sharp contrast to the competitive atmosphere that had surrounded network television during the height of her fame.

Although she largely stayed away from Hollywood headlines DeWitt never completely abandoned the entertainment industry.

She appeared in films such as The Savant and Ask Me to Dance while also accepting occasional television and stage projects.

In 2023 she even returned to her roots by appearing in the Davidson Brothers band’s music video for Home.

The song celebrated West Virginia where DeWitt was born and she later told Country Living that the deepest part of her heart remained anchored in her childhood there.

She said visiting family in West Virginia always felt like receiving a shot of lifeblood a reminder that her identity had never been defined solely by Hollywood.

Even more touching was the fact that the music video included a photograph of DeWitt alongside John Ritter and Suzanne Somers.

It served as a quiet reminder that despite everything that had happened Three’s Company remained one of the defining chapters of her life.

The arguments lawsuits and media headlines eventually faded. But the friendships and the memories of creating one of television’s most beloved sitcoms continued to shape how she looked back on that extraordinary period.

By choosing gratitude instead of resentment Joyce DeWitt showed that moving forward did not require forgetting the paSt. It simply required viewing it through a different lens.

By the time Three’s Company reached its final years the series was still recognizable on the surface but the original balance had changed.

Suzanne Somers was gone. Jenilee Harrison had briefly filled the space as Cindy Snow and Priscilla Barnes later joined as Terri Alden.

The writers kept the apartment setup alive and John Ritter continued carrying much of the physical comedy but the effortless rhythm of Jack Janet and Chrissy could not be fully duplicated.

The show continued until its eighth season. Yet many longtime viewers understood that the version they had first fallen in love with had already ended much earlier.

Joyce DeWitt never claimed that one single person destroyed the sitcom. Her later comments suggest something more realistic.

Three’s Company was damaged by a chain reaction. Suzanne’s salary demand created conflict with ABC.

ABC’s decision to make an example of her as Alan Hamel described to People removed one of the show’s central figures.

The remaining cast had to keep working under public scrutiny while private friendships became strained.

What began as a business dispute slowly turned into an emotional break that lasted for decades.

After the series ended that separation continued in different ways. John Ritter moved into new television and film projects including Three’s a Crowd Hooperman and later 8 Simple Rules.

Suzanne Somers rebuilt her career through Las Vegas Step by Step ThighMaster books and wellness businesses.

Joyce DeWitt chose a quieter path focusing on stage work and selective roles rather than chasing another network sitcom.

Each of them survived the end of the show but none of them could return to the exact chemistry that made the original trio special.

What makes DeWitt’s perspective powerful is that she eventually chose forgiveness over blame. When she reunited publicly with Somers she did not pretend the past had been painless.

She simply made room for a different ending. After Somers died DeWitt’s tribute was not about contracts arguments or lost years.

It was about compassion for a family in grief and respect for a woman who had once helped create something millions of people loved.

So when Joyce DeWitt looks back the real reason Three’s Company fell apart was not just a salary fight.

It was what happened after that fight the loss of trust the breakdown of communication and the impossibility of rebuilding the original bond once it had been broken.

The show survived on television for a while but the heart of it had changed.

And maybe that is why fans still returned to those early episodes not just because they were funny but because they captured a chemistry that even the network could not replace.