buffy feud© Photo: Rex

Inside Buffy the Vampire Slayer stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan's on-set fallout

Sarah has admitted that she had "heated moments" with her co-stars

TV & Film Writer
September 14, 2022

Buffy the Vampire Slayer might have last aired 19 years ago, but we still love watching the show from the very beginning, thanks to the entire boxset being available to watch on Disney+.

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But did you know that stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan had a major falling out behind-the-scenes of the show? Find out all about their feud here...

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Sarah, who is also known for her roles in the Scooby-Doo franchise and I Know What You Did Last Summer, led the series as the fearless vampire-fighting teenager Buffy Summer, while Alyson played her best friend, Willow.

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However, it seems that life did not imitate art and the two actresses weren't exactly BFFs offscreen while the show was airing between 1997 and 2003. At the time, multiple reports emerged that the pair were butting heads behind the scenes of the show.

© Photo: Rex

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan starred on all seven seasons of the show

Chatting to Evan Ross Katz for his book Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts, Sarah reflected on her time on set, which included some "heated moments" with her co-stars.

"Look, we worked really hard hours. We were young, we had ups and downs. Everybody had arguments," she said. "It wasn't rosy. Nobody gets along all the time. And Alyson and I had moments. There's no question. But you're young."

© Photo: Rex

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended in 2003

"I think that unfortunately, the set we were on and the world we were in was pitting us against each other. I think it would have been different if it was today," she continued before revealing that the pair have "a great relationship now."

The actress also told Entertainment Weekly that starring in the show wasn't always fun, which inevitably affected her relationship with her co-stars. Many cast members have spoken out about the toxic work environment on set, which has been attributed to series creator Joss Whedon.

© Photo: Rex

Alyson revealed that Sarah was keen to wrap up the show

"There have been times where that's been difficult - you want to pick up and go, try other things, live in different places," she said, noting that calling it a day after seven seasons "feels right, and you have to listen to that." 

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For her part, How I Met Your Mother star Alyson said she felt that her co-star was done with the series from season three onwards while appearing on Watch What Happens Live. When asked by host Andy Cohen "Who was the most annoyed to be on Buffy the Vampire Slayer by the end of the show's run?" she said without hesitating: "Sarah."

She went on to explain that Sarah "had a big career going on" so naturally wanted to leave the show, and in a separate interview with HuffPost Live, she gushed about Sarah's work ethic, saying she "was incredibly professional, worked her butt off for seven years, and gave amazing television."

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