Married with Children star Ed O'Neill has revealed that he lashed out at actress Amanda Bearce after she left him off the guest list for his wedding.
O'Neal admitted that the TV Guide cover created a rift between the two that permeated their relationship over the years, creating a lasting wedge between fellow actors. He revealed details of their feud on a recent episode of Jesse Tyler Ferguson's podcast Dinners on Me. according to to Fox News Digital. Mr O'Neill admitted he had “failed” and said if he could turn back time he would have handled the situation differently.
The famous actor who played Al Bundy on the show also attended the infamous 1989 TV Guide cover shoot, in which David Garrison and the Bears were absent, along with Christina Applegate, Katey Sagal, and David Sagal. He spoke openly about posing alongside Faustino and others.
Bears, who played the supporting character Mercy Darcy, was upset about not being on the cover and explicitly asked O'Neill to come to bat with her and Garrison and put them in the feature. Mr O'Neill admitted at the time that his refusal to do so led to long-term tensions between the two parties.
He went on to say that when Mr. Bears married Carrie Schenken in 2010, the rift between them was exacerbated by his exclusion from the wedding guest list.
American actress Amanda Bearce arrives at the premiere of Universal Pictures' “Brothers” held at Regal LA Live in Los Angeles on September 28, 2022 (Photo by: VALERIE MACON/AFP) (Photo by: VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
“Then Amanda ended up getting married. Now, at the time, this was a novelty. I mean, I shouldn't call it novel. It was new. And she was invited to the wedding as well. And my feelings were hurt,'' O'Neill told Ferguson.
“So I asked her about it and she said, 'Well, it was a difficult decision.' And I thought, 'Are you confusing me with Al Bundy?' ” he recalled.
“I didn't say that, but that's how I felt,” O'Neal said on the podcast.
He described his feelings at the time.
“'Why? What do you mean? What do you think, am I a Neanderthal or something? So I was angry,” he said.
O'Neill admitted that she regrets how she reacted to the wedding snub.
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 22: Actor Ed O'Neal attends the 14th Annual Global Green Pre-Oscar Party held at TAO Hollywood on February 22, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Global Green)
“If I could do it all over again, I would have said, 'Good luck, Amanda.'” I'm calling you. It's your wedding, there's whoever you want there,” he said.
“But instead I lashed out and lashed out. I said what I thought – it was a joke, but it was a mean joke, you know? I wish I could have done it again. That's my biggest regret. I didn't handle it well. I know that,” O'Neill told Ferguson.
O'Neal, who later found success with her role on Modern Family, updated her current relationship with the old cast of Married with Children. (Related article: Jennifer Lawrence explains the strange reason she asked Robert De Niro to quit their wedding rehearsal)
“I missed the cast so much because they were such unusual and interesting people. I still keep in touch with Christina, David and Katie, but not so much with Amanda and David Garrison. “I’m not in contact with them because they’re not there,” he said.
