Shelley Lengthy was noticeably absent when a number of of her Cheers costars reunited on the Emmy Awards in 2024.
Lengthy has at all times had a contentious relationship with the NBC sitcom that made her a family title. Amid rumors of rigidity with costar Ted Danson, Lengthy give up Cheers in 1987, even after profitable an Emmy and two Golden Globes for taking part in Diane Chambers within the NBC sitcom’s first 5 seasons.
There have been infinite rumors over time about why Lengthy left the present. For his half, Danson admitted on the “Smartless” podcast in 2024 that he and Lengthy genuinely didn’t get alongside when cameras weren’t rolling.
“My first response to Shelley whereas we have been auditioning was, ‘Oh, no. No. That’s a foul, unhealthy thought,’” he recalled.
Recalling that his first interactions with Lengthy have been “horrible,” Danson defined: “I don’t know, we have been so completely different. Our kinds, our method, our every thing is admittedly completely different, which is why I feel it labored as a result of it was like this truthful battle.”
“It was laborious for us typically to be within the room collectively,” he conceded. “However once we began working, it was simply unbelievable since you’d smack her and he or she’d smack you again tougher. She was simply sensible.”
Lengthy conceded in a 1995 interview that she was disenchanted that Cheers — and her exit from the present — typically overshadowed different elements of her profession.
Shelly Lengthy, Ted Danson,George Wendt, Rhea Perlman, Nicholas Colasanto, John Ratzenberger in ‘Cheers.’ Everett Assortment
“I’ve by no means regretted the choice [to leave Cheers],” she insisted. “I’ve been aggravated by the feedback and the fixed questions of, ‘Do you remorse? Do you ever remorse?’ … I don’t remorse it. I’ve mentioned it again and again.”
Lengthy defined that her major purpose for leaving Cheers on the top of the present’s reputation was that she “sincerely” needed extra time along with her household.
“I’ll endlessly treasure [that time with my family],” she added.
Lengthy was married to Ken Solomon early in her profession, earlier than tying the knot with securities dealer Bruce Tyson in 1981. Tyson and Lengthy share one daughter, Juliana, born in March 1985. (Lengthy and Tyson divorced in 2004.)
Lengthy saved busy after leaving Cheers, showing in a string of profitable films with The Cash Pit, Troop Beverly Hills and The Brady Bunch Film into the Nineteen Nineties.
She made recurring appearances in Trendy Household as Ed O’Neill’s onscreen ex-wife, DeDe Pritchett. Lengthy appeared in eight Trendy Household episodes over a nine-year interval. Her character was killed off in a memorable 2018 episode as a solution to show “loss of life is a big a part of the household expertise,” in keeping with Trendy Household cocreator Steve Levitan.
“[DeDe was] straight concerned with three of our characters and he or she touched all people’s life in some attention-grabbing means,” the producer defined on the time. “It appeared like the suitable character to place all people by means of one thing. She appeared like the suitable character as a result of she so straight impacts so a lot of our characters.”
Chatting with ABC Information in 2017, Lengthy mirrored on getting into a brand new section of her profession after enjoying romantic leads for thus lengthy.
“There simply aren’t lots of roles on the whole, roles for somebody extra particular to my age,” she famous. “I’m type of within the center, I don’t precisely appear like a grandmother, however I don’t appear like a number one girl within the extra conventional sense … There are lots of younger grandmothers on the market.”
Shelley Lengthy in November 2017. David Livingston/Getty Photos
She saved appearing into the 2020s, although Lengthy finally retreated from public life following the discharge of her 2021 film The Cleaner.
When Emmy producers organized a Cheers forged reunion on the annual gala in September 2024, Lengthy declined to participate with former costars Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger and George Wendt. Grammar later admitted to The New York Put up in January 2024 that he was disenchanted that Lengthy selected to not attend.
“I used to be sorry Shelley didn’t make it,” the Frasier actor mentioned. “However the different guys, it was nice to see them.”
Lengthy continues to be sometimes noticed by photographers in Los Angeles, however has chosen to dwell a quiet life away from the highlight in recent times.
