Suzanne Somers initially rose to the status of a household name via her role in the hit sitcom Three’s Company. That beloved sitcom would stay on the air for 8 seasons, from 1977 to 1984. However, only the first 5 of those seasons would end up featuring Suzanne Somers. Many people still wonder to this day exactly why Suzanne Somers ended up leaving the show after only 5 seasons of it’s incredibly successful run. As well, many people are curious about what the television actress ended up doing afterwards. If you’re one of the many people who would like to know how Suzanne Somers career ended up, you’re in luck! Today, Facts Verse is going to attempt to uncover what happened to Suzanne Somers after Three’s Company.
Suzanne Somers was born in 1946, on October 16. Though she would end up becoming popular by her first husband’s last name, she was born Suzanne Marie Mahoney. Unlike many other Hollywood stars, Somers was not born to a family with a background in the entertainment industry. Her mother worked in the medical field as a secretary, and her father was a laborer with an affinity for gardening. Her father may have been a hard worker, but he wasn’t the most affable man to be around. According to Somers, he was a heavy drinker and would often tease her relentlessly and call her names as she was growing up. However, this teasing only made the young woman that much more adamant that she would eventually take the world by storm.
Somers graduated high school and then attended college. She would go on to marry her first husband, Bruce Somers, in 1965. Although the marriage only lasted three years, she would keep his last name. After the marriage dissolved, she decided to take her career in entertainment a little more seriously. She would end up becoming a prize model on the game show Anniversary Game. Over time, she would develop a fairly close relationship with the host of that show, Alan Hamel. The two would eventually marry in 1977, the same year that Three’s Company premiered. He would play an incredibly large role in her life and career. He is often blamed for catalyzing the events that would see Suzanne leaving the show after it’s fifth season.
Somers used her success as a prize model on the game show Anniversary Game to get increasingly better roles in film and television. She wasn’t afraid to use her good looks and her charisma to get both producers’ and the audience’s attention. She was often seen as a femme fatale, appearing in many television programs and films that capitalized on this image. Around the same time, she also slowly began pursuing a career as an author, having written a book of poetry that achieved minor success.
Some of Somers’ notable early roles in film include parts in American Graffiti and Magnum Force. On television, she could be seen doing bit parts in programs such as One Day at a Time, The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Rockford Files. Although her parts were often fairly small, they made a huge impression on the audience. She received steady work throughout the early 70s. However, her breakthrough role wouldn’t come until the premiere of Three’s Company in 1977. In that show, Somers would portray Chrissy Snow. The producers had already gone through two separate candidates that they didn’t feel were right, but their luck changed when they caught Somers promoting her book of poetry on The Tonight Show. Immediately, they had a feeling that this was the woman that was meant to play Chrissy. As it turns out, their intuition was right on the money.
Three’s Company was the story of three single co-ed roommates. Those roommates were Jack Tripper, Janet Wood, and Chrissy Snow. Jack Tripper was played by John Ritter, and Janet Wood was played by Joyce DeWitt. Their landlords were initially played by Norman Feel and Helen Roper, but the two would end up leaving the show in 1979. After they left, famous comedian and character actor Don Knotts would be brought in to take their place. This lineup would go on to be the most iconic lineup of the show’s long and successful run.
The show was a success almost immediately, and Chrissy Snow was arguably the biggest reason that audiences were tuning in. Audiences cheered every time Somers came onto the screen. Her role became so popular that Somers eventually began to question if she was being paid as much as she was worth. You see, John Ritter was making more than Somers per episode, and the actress began to understandably have some issues with this. Many assume that Somers’ husband, Alan Hamel, convinced her to take some course of action to remedy this discrepancy in pay. After the show’s fourth season, Somers would make some demands regarding her earnings that the producers of the show weren’t exactly comfortable with. If you’re enjoying this video so far, hit the like button to show your support for more content like this being made in the future! As well, be sure to hit the subscribe button if you want to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are dropping in the future!
Suzanne Somers definitely had a reason to be upset about making less money than John Ritter. She was arguably the main drawing point of the show, and she wasn’t being properly compensated for it. It’s not surprising, then, that the actress would end up asking the show’s producer for an increase in pay. While many would assume this wouldn’t be too big of a deal given how much Somers was contributing to the show, the amount of a pay increase she asked for was arguably a little excessive. At the time, she was only making $30,000 per episode. However, her demand to the producers was to be paid $150,000 per episode. She also asked to be given 10% ownership to the show’s rights. The producers balked at her request. Instead, they reduced her role down to only 60 seconds per episode throughout the show’s fifth season before eventually firing her and writing her character out. The void she left would end up being filled by a few different characters, but none of them could capture the magic that Somers brought to the table. Once Somers was gone, it was only a matter of time before the show would fall apart. However, Somers would have a bright future ahead of her.
This whole episode caused a rift between Somers and her co-stars, including John Ritter. She would end up not talking to the actor again for two decades, making up with him shortly before his untimely death in 2003. However, Somers’ burning of these bridges would not go on to have many detrimental effects on her promising career. The actress’s status as a sex symbol would be solidified when she took the opportunity to pose nude in Playboy. She appeared once in 1980 and once again in 1984. To the world over, Suzanne Somers was a star, with or without Three’s Company.
Somers’ biggest post-Three’s Company career revelation would come during her tenure as a spokeswoman for the popular piece of exercise equipment known as the Thighmaster. Not only would the campaign further her appeal as a sex symbol, but it would also prove uniquely influential on her overall career moving forward. With this campaign, Somers began to see the potential of being a health and fitness advocate. Her good looks weren’t just something to be admired, and she could put them to use by showing others how to live healthy and active lifestyles. This would play a huge part in Somers’ career moving forward into the next century.
Before becoming better known as an advocate for fitness and healthy living than as an entertainer, Somers did continue her acting career in television and film throughout the late 80s and 90s. In 1987, she appeared in the show She’s the Sheriff. In that show, she was the titular star. After that, she would feature in a recurring role on the series Step by Step during the 90s. She would also co-host the show Candid Camera in the late 90s. Any way you look at it, Suzanne was never hurting for success or commercial appeal.
Into the 2000s, Somers’ star would remain fairly consistent. In 2005, she performed in a one-woman show on Broadway. The show was titled The Blonde in the Thunderbird, named after her iconic role in the film American Graffiti. This show allowed Somers to renew her personal relationship with her fan base, and she would capitalize on that success soon after with the publication of her book Ageless. In her written works, Somers began making a new name for herself as an advocate for exercise and healthy living. She would share her lifestyle and diet with other people, and soon Somers would be known more for her lifestyle advocacy than she would be for her acting roles. She would follow up Ageless with numerous other works, most of which would be centered around her lifestyle and diet.
Somers didn’t end her career as an entertainer just because she had become a famous author, though. She continued to take a prominent role in entertainment. She would host her own online talk show titled Breaking Through. This experience lead her to take the lead in a televised talk show on the Lifetime Network titled The Suzanne Show. More recently, she would put her good looks and fitness to the test on the reality competition show Dancing with the Stars. Although she only finished the competition in 9th place, she will always be 1st place to her immense and growing fan base.
Suzanne Somers has certainly had an incredible career, before and after her breakout success on Three’s Company. Few other entertainers, whether male or female, have been able to retain such a prominent spot in the public’s eye. As well, she has been able to keep a very positive and solid reputation over all these years, with very little tabloid drama to speak of. All things considered, any entertainer would be lucky to have a career as successful and consistent as hers.
Comment down below to share your favorite moment from Suzanne Somers’ incredible career, or if you’d like to share your thoughts on her more recent health and lifestyle advocacy. As always, like the video to support more content like this being made in the future, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
