Melissa Joan Hart, renowned for her starring role in the ’90s sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch, opened up about a distressing episode from her past on a podcast. Hart disclosed that an underwear photoshoot for Maxim magazine nearly led to her dismissal from the successful show and the lucrative USD 830 million franchise.
Why was Melissa Joan Hart caught crying the entire evening?
The situation arose when Melissa Joan Hart participated in a daring photoshoot while wearing underwear. The magazine’s cover prominently displayed the name “Sabrina” instead of her real name, a choice that generated considerable attention. Given her character’s magical image, this decision sparked controversy. Complicating matters, her contract specifically prevented her from depicting her character in a state of nudity. The cover of Maxim seemed to suggest that this contractual boundary had been crossed.
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During an installment of the podcast Pod Meets World, which features cast members from Boy Meets World, Melissa shared how the aftermath of the photoshoot plunged her life into chaos. She shared, “If you look at my eyes, I’d been crying all evening,” She characterized the experience as the ‘worst day ever” highlighting the evident signs of her tearful state that lingered in her eyes. The situation was compounded by the emotional weight of a recent breakup she had gone through, which coincided with the premiere of her movie Drive Me Crazy.
Consequences of breaching the contract
While preparing to attend an after-party for the movie premiere, Melissa Joan Hart received a phone call that altered her course. She was informed that she had been removed from another project, Scary Movie. Additionally, in the middle of the celebration, her lawyer arrived with surprising news about the Maxim photoshoot, which resulted in a lawsuit and the potential of her being fired from Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
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Hart’s mother, fueled by anger, confronted her daughter’s actions, inquiring, “What did you do?” Hart admitted she went along with her publicist’s advice for the photoshoot, figuring that teaming up with the bold folks at Maxim was a pretty typical move, given their reputation for edgy content. And well, guess what? The magazine cover had a half-dressed Hart and a playful tagline, “Sabrina, your favorite witch without a stitch.”
The situation was further complicated by the fact that Hart’s contract explicitly stated she would never depict her character naked. To mend the situation, Hart penned an apology letter, which ultimately played a crucial role in resolving the conflict. Archie Comics, the company behind the “Sabrina” franchise, forgave her after she expressed remorse.
Hart’s career-defining role as Sabrina spanned seven seasons from 1996 to 2003, garnering her widespread recognition and cementing her as a household name. Despite the near-dismissal, she persevered and continued to play the teenage witch until the show’s eventual cancellation in 2003.
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