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(NewsNation) — Shannen Doherty, who lost her yearslong battle with breast cancer last week, knew she was dying and was very specific about her funeral wishes about who she did — and did not — want invited.
On her podcast “Let’s Be Real,” she said, “There’s a lot of people that I think would show up that I don’t want there. I don’t want them there because their reasons for showing up aren’t necessarily the best reasons … Like, they don’t really like me and, you know, they have their reasons and good for them, but they don’t actually really like me enough to show up to my funeral.”
Doherty didn’t mention names but added, “(They’ll show up) because it’s the politically correct thing to do, and they don’t want to look bad, so I kinda want to take the pressure off them and I want my funeral to be like a love fest,” she said, adding, “I don’t want people to be crying or people to privately be like, ‘Thank God that b—- is dead now.'”
And I can tell you two names of people who will not be getting an invite: Jennie Garth and Alyssa Milano.
The day it was announced that Doherty died, her former “Beverly Hills 90210” co-star Garth posted a pic of the two from the 1990s on Instagram and wrote: “I am still processing my tremendous grief over the loss of my long time friend Shannen, the woman I have often described as one of the strongest people I have ever known. Our connection was real and honest. We were so often pitted against each other but none of that reflected the truth of our real relationship which was one built on mutual respect and admiration. She was courageous, passionate, determined and very loving and generous. I will miss her and will always honor her deeply in my heart and in my memories. My heart breaks for her family and Bowie and all the people who loved her. 💔”
While fans liked the post by the hundreds, friends of Doherty were fuming.
“They were not friends — she did that for likes,” one said.
Doherty did tell People in May she and Garth had set aside their differences and said: “I see (Garth) at conventions, and we talk and, you know, we laugh … I mean, those conventions, we work really hard, but we’re all good … Jennie and I were young, and there are things that perhaps I would have done different (sic) back then, way back then, but I don’t really particularly hold any grudges against anyone from that show.”
However, Doherty’s friends were appalled at Garth’s post nonetheless.
But the real ire was reserved for Milano, who gave a statement to Entertainment Weekly calling Doherty a “talented actress” who was “beloved by many.”
“It’s no secret that Shannen and I had a complicated relationship, but at its core was someone I deeply respected and was in awe of,” Milano said. “She was a talented actress, beloved by many, and the world is less without her. My condolences to all who loved her.”
“That’s just disgusting,” a Doherty friend told me. “Alyssa was horrible to Shannen. Always.”
Earlier this year, on Doherty’s podcast, her “Charmed” co-star Holly Combs let the cat out of the bag and told the world how Milano got Doherty fired from the show after season three.
“We were told (by Alyssa) it’s her or (Shannen) and Alyssa has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment,” Combs said producer Jonathan Levin told her. (Milano denies this.)
Doherty also claimed that Milano and her mother, Lin, prevented her from visiting Combs in the hospital after she had a tumor removed from her uterus. Milano’s mom denied the claims.
So, who will be invited to the funeral? Combs, Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling, and other actual friends.
Leslie Sloane, Doherty’s longtime publicist, told People: “It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress Shannen Doherty. On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease. The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace.”
