She became widely recognized for playing Chrissy Snow on Three’s Company, the popular ABC sitcom that premiered in 1977. Working alongside John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt, she quickly became one of the show’s most recognizable stars.
The series became an immediate ratings success, but Somers eventually found herself at the center of a major contract dispute. By the fifth season, she reportedly sought a dramatic salary increase, asking for $150,000 per episode along with a share of the program’s profits.
ABC rejected her demands. Somers then staged an injury and missed two episodes before completing the rest of the season under her existing contract. Her role was subsequently reduced to only about sixty seconds per episode.
In 1980, ABC fired her and ended her contract. Somers later sued the network for $2 million. The dispute was ultimately resolved through arbitration, with Somers receiving $30,000 for one episode.
The controversy also affected her relationship with John Ritter. The two reportedly stopped speaking for approximately twenty years before eventually reconciling before Ritter’s death in 2003.
