Edie Britt didn't have too many fans on Wisteria Lane, and Nicollette Sheridan continues to be the odd woman out in real life.
Desperate Housewives' lead quartet of Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria Parker, Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross have come out in support of series creator Marc Cherry, who's been accused by Sheridan of creating a hostile, abusive working environment and then killing the neighborhood bombshell off when she complained.
"It would be irresponsible of us to let the public believe that being a part of this show from its inception has been anything but a blessing," the actresses said in a joint statement to Entertainment Tonight.
"We have no first-hand knowledge of what Nicollette may or may not have experienced, but we would never characterize our set as a hostile environment. It is, in fact, the opposite. The friendships and support that Marc Cherry, the cast, the crew and the producers have shared for the past six years have made this a wonderful job that we are grateful for every day."
Sounds like they want to keep their jobs everyone but Sheridan was having a great time at work.
Longoria Parker said during Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM morning show that Sheridan, whose character was killed off last spring, and Cherry had "a thing on set" a couple of years ago during filming, but that it was kept very hush-hush, even from the rest of the cast.
An eyewitness told the Awful Truth that Cherry did slap Sheridan, but only to further explain a scene in which Edie had to hit someone, and she hadn't been getting it right.
Then again, other sources have said that star and creator were pretty combative, but that they both misbehaved in different ways, Sheridan by not being prepared when she came to work and Cherry by not controlling his "crazy temper."
Meanwhile, Hatcher has had to break off from the close-knit Desperate pack to further oppose Sheridan's claims, because her former costar also claimed in her lawsuit that Cherry made a nasty, threatening remark about Hatcher, as well.
"While my adoration and respect for the classic and dynamic chemistry of the characters of Susan and Edie is indelible, I'm honored to stand with Eva, Felicity and Marcia, as a group and clarify that our set environment is nothing less than an amazingly positive experience," countered Hatcher, speaking to ET.
"I have never felt discriminated against. In fact, I have felt heard and respected by Marc and other executives in regards to both my professional and personal needs."
Sounds like an ideal working environment, minus the newly installed legal elephant in the room.
________
The ladies of Desperate Housewives haven't been on the wrong side of the sartorial law lately, but they're no strangers to our Fashion Police gallery.