Teri Hatcher Is the "Meanest Woman in the World," This Co-Star Allegedly Said

The cast of "Desperate Housewives" knew how to bring the drama behind the scenes, too.

The primetime soap opera Desperate Housewives was full of drama during its eight seasons on the air, and, apparently, the same was true for the cast members off-screen. There have been many reports written and comments made over the years about whether the shows stars—Teri Hatcher, Nicollette Sheridan, Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, and Marcia Cross—got along or not, and one particularly cutting remark came out during a courtroom trial. When Marc Cherry, the creator of Desperate Housewives had to give testimony involving one of the show's stars, he claimed that she once called castmate Hatcher "the meanest woman in the world." Read on to find out who Cherry was talking about.

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The conflict was brought up in court.

Nicollette Sheridan at the 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock

In 2012, Sheridan sued Cherry claiming wrongful termination when her character, Edie, was killed off on Desperate Housewives. She also claimed that Cherry hit her "upside the head." Metro reported that Cherry gave Sheridan a "tap to the head" when showing how a scene was meant to be acted. As reported by E! News, an ABC investigation cleared Cherry of wrongdoing.

During the trial, Cherry brought up a disagreement between Sheridan and Hatcher.

"There was a problem going on between Nicollette Sheridan and Teri Hatcher," Cherry claimed, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter. He added that "they were furious with each other."

Sheridan allegedly had strong words for her co-star.

Nicollette Sheridan and Teri Hatcher at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards (UK) in 2006
Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

Cherry continued in his court testimony, "Nicollette pulled me aside and told me that Teri Hatcher was the meanest woman in the world because of how she was acting." After he said this, Sheridan's lawyer objected, according to THR, and the judge didn't allow Cherry to continue with this story.

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Hatcher reportedly wasn't close with her coworkers.

The cast of "Desperate Housewives" on stage at the 2008 Emmy Awards
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Various reports and interviews over the years have implied that the stars of Desperate Housewives were all good friends with each other—with the exception of Hatcher. For instance, when the show ended, Longoria, Cross, Huffman, and later addition Vanessa Williams got gifts for the show's crew members and Hatcher's name wasn't included on the card, as reported by Celebuzz. "The girls don't get along with Teri so they organized this and left her out," a source said.

There was also drama during the cast's 2005 Vanity Fair cover shoot. Reportedly, Hatcher was not supposed to be allowed to stand in the middle of the cover photo or get styled first. The cover read, "You Won't Believe What It Took Just To Get This Photo!"

Hatcher had kind words for Sheridan when she left.

Teri Hatcher and Nicollette Sheridan at the GLAAD Media Awards in 2006
J. Vespa/WireImage for GLAAD via Getty Images

After Sheridan's character was killed off, Hatcher spoke with People and said, "She will be missed. I feel really grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her." The Lois & Clark star added that she thought Sheridan's work on the show was award-worthy. "It was a fabulously written episode. She should get nominated for an Emmy," she said.

Sheridan later said she was determined to work with "nice people."

Nicollette Sheridan at the 2019 Make-up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards
Eugene Powers / Shutterstock

In 2018, Sheridan spoke to Entertainment Weekly about returning to act in a TV series for the first time since Desperate Housewives.

"I really wanted to work with nice people," Sheridan said of her role on the Dynasty reboot. "That has been something that has colored the past 10 years of my life." She explained of Edie being killed off and the lawsuit, "What happened at the end of Desperate Housewives was degrading and demoralizing. It sent me under a rock. I really grappled with what happened, losing faith in people and really not trusting the business at all. I didn't know that I wanted anything to do with the business for some time."

At that point, Sheridan was attempting to appeal a judge's decision to throw out her case. Cherry's rep told Entertainment Weekly, "Nicolette Sheridan was not a victim at the hands of Marc Cherry—a court has already ruled to that effect after hearing the testimony of multiple witnesses. We are disappointed that the judicial determination continues to be ignored."

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Lia Beck
Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more. Read more
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