Alex Carson
In 1977, Three’s Company came on the air. The show quickly became a major success thanks to the chemistry of it’s three stars. Those stars were John Ritter, Suzanne Somers, and Joyce DeWitt. Of those three stars, Suzanne and Joyce are still alive; and they love paying their respects to the late John Ritter by sharing stories about how horny the actor used to be on the set of the series. Join Facts Verse as Suzanne Somers says John Ritter was “very horny” on set.
Three’s Company Titillated Audiences… and John Ritter
Three’s Company came on the air in 1977 and quickly became a huge hit for the ABC channel. The show’s one of the defining examples of what would come to known as “jiggle television”; which a derogatory term created by the head of the NBC network to criticize ABC’s programming. The term referred to the fact that many of ABC’s popular programs took advantage of braless actresses wearing skintight clothing. And other such sexually suggestive things, in order to draw in audience members. While the head of NBC had coined the term jiggle television as a means to criticize the competition; it didn’t do much good. ABC was beating NBC in the ratings, and this supposed jiggle television was a big part of it’s appeal.
When Three’s Company came on the air in 1977; it joined the ranks of ABC’s Charlie’s Angels as one of the network’s most popular, and sexy, shows. Both of these shows are considered preeminent examples of jiggle television. The purpose of jiggle television was to titillate audience members. But one can imagine that those working on the sets of these jiggle television shows may have been just as titillated. In fact, it seems that one person who very titillated on the set of Three’s Company was John Ritter.
On Three’s Company, John Ritter played the character of Jack Tripper. Meanwhile, costars Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt played the characters of Chrissy Snow and Janet Wood, respectively. Of course, the premise of the show was that these three single characters were living together in the same apartment building. At the time, a single man living with two single women was seen as incredibly bizarre. Because of this, Jack’s character on the series had to pretend he was gay whenever the landlords were around.
Three’s Company Featured Many Sexy Stars
True to the nature of jiggle television, Three’s Company featured two very sexy females in it’s main cast. And it would make sure that those females could be seen jiggling as much as possible. However, in addition to these two main female cast members, the show also featured plenty of memorable female guest stars. According to Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt; John Ritter would often find himself just as titillated by these guest stars as the audience at home would be once the episodes aired. In fact, it seems that John had a penchant for getting so worked up on the set of Three’s Company that he even had a few affairs with guest stars on the series. However, Suzanne and Joyce have yet to include any names in these stories.
The revelation that John Ritter may have had some affairs with guest stars on the set of Three’s Company came via Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt reuniting on the former’s internet talk show in the early 2010s. This was several years after John Ritter’s death, when the star was no longer around to defend himself! John passed away from heart failure in 2003, at the age of only 54. The knowledge that John got intimate with some of the guest stars on the series made people wonder if he had ever tried to get intimate with Suzanne and Joyce. Apparently, he didn’t. Still, the three maintained a close relationship while they were working together on the series. Even if some bad blood would grow between them as their time on it came to an end.
While John Ritter hooking up with guest stars on the set of Three’s Company might not seem like all that big of a deal. It should remembered that the star married over the course of the show’s entire run. The series lasted from 1977 to 1984, and John married to his first wife from 1977 to 1996. That first wife was a woman by the name of Nancy Morgan. Following the divorce, John would remarry once prior to his 2003 death. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! Also, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
Both John Ritter and Suzanne Somers Married the Same Year That Three’s Company Premiered
After divorcing from first wife Nancy Morgan in 1996; John Ritter went on to marry second wife Amy Yasbeck in 1999. The two then stayed married until 2003, with their marriage only ending upon the event of John’s death. John Ritter not the only one of Three’s Company’s main cast members that married while working on the series. Suzanne Somers married her second spouse in 1977, the very same year as John Ritter. Unlike John, Suzanne never divorced from her second spouse. Suzanne and second husband Alan Hamel still married today; and apparently still have a fairly active sex life. Given that Suzanne is currently 75 years old and that her husband is 10 years her senior; this can seen as quite the accomplishment!
Prior to marrying her second husband the same year that Three’s Company premiered; Suzanne Somers had married to a man by the name of Bruce Somers. Of course, it was from Bruce that Suzanne got her iconic last name. Compared to John Ritter and Suzanne Somers, Joyce DeWitt never married while working on Three’s Company. In fact, Joyce DeWitt has never married over the course of her entire lifetime. However, Joyce has romantically involved with a few notable figures. Around the time that Three’s Company on the air; Joyce DeWitt romantically involved with fellow television actor Randolph Mantooth, known for his role on Emergency!
While Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt maintain that John Ritter was incredibly horny on the set of Three’s Company. Both actresses claims that the actor never tried to take things too far with either of them. In fact, it seems that Joyce’s revelation that John had slept with a few of his guest stars on the series had come as a complete surprise to Suzanne. Though Suzanne certainly remembers John being fairly horny on the set of the series; she had always assumed that his flirtations innocent given that he married man over the course of the show’s entire run.
Bad Blood Between the Three’s Company Stars
Though Suzanne and Joyce may have had no reason to hold a grudge against John Ritter due to his on-set horniness; other things eventually tore apart the three’s working relationship. While it may have seemed to the audience that all three of Three’s Company’s stars were equal. The fact of the matter was that John Ritter made a good deal more money than either of his female costars. After several seasons, this fact began to anger Suzanne Somers.
Later on in Three’s Company’s run, Suzanne Somers demanded that she be paid as much as John Ritter per episode. The producers balked at this request, and Suzanne subsequently written out of the series. John Ritter apparently took this personally, and refused to talk to Suzanne for many years following her exit from the show. It wouldn’t be until just before the actor’s death in 2003 that John would finally call up Suzanne and make things good between them once more. Around the same time, John also reunited with Joyce DeWitt and the two could seen attending a few parties together in New York City.
Perhaps Three Is Too Much of a Crowd!
Whether John Ritter knew it or not; these experiences with Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt would end up being his last. John had similarly fallen out with Joyce DeWitt after Three’s Company had come to an end, but the bad blood between them didn’t last for quite as long as the bad blood had lasted between John and Suzanne. Unlike Suzanne, Joyce DeWitt had stayed by John Ritter’s side on Three’s Company over the course of series’ entire eight-season run. Despite the fact that John made so much more than her; Joyce considered him a great friend, and she felt incredibly betrayed by something he did when the show ended.
A few unsuccessful spin-offs resulted from Three’s Company. After the series came to an end, John Ritter given his very own spin-off series by the name of Three’s a Crowd. John initially kept the news of this spin-off series a secret from Joyce DeWitt because he didn’t want her to get jealous. Not only Joyce not getting her own spin-off, but she wouldn’t even allowed to make an appearance on Three’s a Crowd. When Joyce eventually did find out the truth; she’s so upset at John that she didn’t talk to him for a period of a few years. As a result of this negative experience; Joyce took a small break from acting after Three’s Company came to an end. She has since returned to acting, though she remains best known as Janet Wood.
Even though John Ritter married over the course of Three’s Company’s entire eight-season run, former costars Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt claim that the celebrated television star was incredibly horny on set. Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that John Ritter made more than both of his female costars on the set of Three’s Company, and that he also had a habit of getting intimate with some of the show’s female guest stars? As always, like this video to show your support, 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!
