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Watch:Jesse Metcalfe Addresses ‘Desperate Housewives’ Behind-the-Scenes Drama
Jesse Metcalfe is desperate to set the record straight on this rumor.
While the Desperate Housewives alum reflected on his four-season run in the iconic series, he addressed rumors of drama between the show’s leading women and creator Marc Cherry.
“I didn’t really experience a whole lot of drama on the show,” Metcalfe said during an interview for E!’s The Greatest Year in Pop Culture, which premiered on Fandango Oct. 5. “That was probably because of my naivete and just kind of being swept up in my newfound success and fame.
Indeed, starring alongside Marcia Cross, Felicity Huffman, Teri Hatcher and Eva Longoria as teen gardener John Rowland was holding plenty of Metcalfe’s focus.
“I didn’t really have the awareness to know what was going on around me,” he continued, “but apparently there was a lot of drama on the show.”
And while Metcalfe didn’t name any of his former costars, he acknowledged he later became aware of the alleged tension.
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Why Jesse Metcalfe Was Cool with Being “Fired” From Desperate Housewives
“Apparently there was some in-fighting between some of our leading ladies and also some drama between our creator and some of our leading ladies,” the 47-year-old said. “I certainly wasn’t part of that. I wasn’t really aware of it. But I know that it happened.”
Indeed, behind-the-scenes conflict occasionally plagued the ABC series during its eight-year run, including an allegedly drama-laden Vanity Fair photoshoot and rumors of on-set bullying, which Longoria appeared to confirm in a 2019 character letter written for Huffman’s college admissions lawsuit.
Then, in 2010, Nicollette Sheridan—who played Edie Britt—filed a $20 million lawsuit against Cherry citing alleged assault and battery, gender violence and wrongful termination. (The case was ultimately dismissed.)
But whatever may have happened behind-the-scenes, Metcalfe has nothing but fond memories, especially working alongside close friend Longoria, who played his illicit lover Gabrielle Solis.
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“I almost feel like I’m a better person around her,” Metcalfe said. “She has an incredible personality and she makes everyone feel important when they’re around her.”
And he knows he was part of something bigger than him.
“In television history, Desperate Housewives will go down as one of the greatest television shows ever made,” he added. “It’s something that I’m very proud of.”
E!’s Greatest Year in Pop Culture is now streaming on Fandango, E! Entertainment YouTube and E! Online.
For an update on where the rest of the Desperate Housewives cast is now, keep reading…
(E! and Fandango are both part of the Versant Media Family.)
Moshe Brakha/Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, Amanda Edwards/Getty ImagesTeri HatcherAfter saying goodbye to Susan Mayer when Desperate Housewives wrapped in 2012, Hatcher had recurring roles on The Odd Couple and Supergirl. She also provided the voice of Dottie in the Disney animated film Planes and its sequel Planes: Fire & Rescue.An avid home chef, Hatcher won a special Holiday Celebrity episode of Chopped season 17. In 2018, she debuted a YouTube channel called Hatching Change that features the segments “Van Therapy” and “Don’t Eat ‘It’ Out of a Box.”Over the years, there have been rumors of an alleged fallout between Hatcher and her fellow leads.”We’ve very good friends,” Eva Longoria told Jimmy Kimmel on a 2018 episode of his late-night show. But when asked if she was referring to everybody, the actress replied, “No. Ninety-nine percent of us are.”Fast forward to 2021 and fans got a Desperate Housewives reunion when Hatcher reunited with her onscreen love James Denton for Hallmark Channel’s holiday movie A Kiss Before Christmas.Moshe Brakha/Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Women In FilmFelicity HuffmanFollowing her time as Lynette on the ABC hit, Huffman starred in the shows American Crime (which earned her three consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie). She also appeared in Get Shorty, When They See Us, Big Game, Cake and Otherhood.The longtime wife of Shameless star William H. Macy had her personal life come to the forefront when she was revealed to be among dozens of parents charged by the FBI and U.S. Attorney General’s office in March 2019 in a nationwide college entrance exam cheating scandal.Accused of paying someone $15,000 to pretend to be daughter Sophia and take her SAT exam for her, Huffman was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud. She formally pleaded guilty to honest services fraud and was later sentenced to 14 days in jail. Huffman reported to the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, Calif. on October 15, 2019 and was released two days early because her release date fell on a weekend.Since her release, she’s kept a low profile but has appeared on a few shows, including The Good Doctor and Criminal Minds.Moshe Brakha/Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, JC Olivera/Getty ImagesEva LongoriaThe erstwhile Gabrielle Solis went on to star in films like Lowriders, Overboard and Dora and the City of Lost Gold. She’s also acted on more TV shows, including Telanovela, Only Murders in the Building and Land of Women.In addition to appearing in front of the camera, Longoria has worked behind it, including serving as an executive producer for Marc Cherry’s Desperate Housewives follow-up Devious Maids and Grand Hotel. She’s also launched a robust directing career. Not only has she helemd TV episodes for Jane the Virgin and Black-ish, but she also made her directorial debut in film with the 2023 movie Flamin’ Hot.Longoria is also an activist and a businesswoman and is married to producer José Antonio “Pepe” Bastón Patiño. The couple welcomed a son, Santiago “Santi” Enrique Bastón, in 2018.Moshe Brakha/Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, Tibrina Hobson/WireImageMarcia CrossSince starring as Bree Van de Camp on Desperate Housewives, the Melrose Place alum has appeared on shows like Quantico, Ned and Stacey, You and Monarch.In September 2018, she revealed she’d successfully completed treatment for anal cancer. The news came nine years after her husband Tom Mahoney had been diagnosed with throat cancer. He is also in remission.Cross and Mahoney are parents to twins Eden and Savannah, whom they welcomed in 2007.Moshe Brakha/Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, Gregg DeGuire/Getty ImagesNicollette SheridanPart of the original cast, Sheridan’s Edie Britt was killed off the series during its fifth season after alleged escalating tensions between her and Cherry that ultimately resulted in a $20 million lawsuit against the producer and ABC Television—with the actress claiming wrongful termination, assault and battery, gender violence, discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and age, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The show’s four other female leads vowed to support Cherry, and the original trial was deemed a mistrial, with Sheridan’s attempts at an appeal denied.Since leaving the series, she’s starred in a trio of Hallmark films and briefly joined the cast of The CW’s Dynasty as the iconic Alexis Carrington before departing 15 episodes into the show’s second season.In December 2015, Sheridan married Aaron Phypers and quickly filed for divorce the following July. She was also previously married to Harry Hamlin.Moshe Brakha/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Leon Bennett/Getty ImagesSteven CulpAfter starring as Bree’s husband Rex in the show’s first season, Culp appeared on shows such as Revolution, Bosch, The Last Ship, The Resident and others. He also portrayed Congressman Wenham in Marvel’s 2014 film Captain America: The Winter Soldier as well as Agent Robinson in the 2018 movie Collusions.In 2006, his half-sister Kathryn Harvey was murdered along with her husband Bryan and their two daughters Stella and Ruby. Of the two men convicted for their murder, one, Ricky Gray, was executed by lethal injection in 2017, while the other, Ray Dandridge, is serving three life sentences without the possibility of parole.Bob D’Amico/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, George Pimentel/WireImageRicardo Antonio ChaviraAfter eight seasons spent playing Gabrielle’s husband Carlos Solis, Chavira rebounded with a series regular role in the short-lived comedy Welcome to the Family. Since then, he’s had roles on Scandal, Jane the Virgin, The Santa Clarita Diet and Selena: The Series.In October 2019, after his former co-worker Huffman was sentenced to just 14 days in federal prison for her role in the college admissions bribery scandal that rocked the country, he took to Twitter to express his disappointment at the light punishment, citing Huffman’s white privilege as the source of the leniency.Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, Phillip Faraone/FilmMagicJames DentonThe erstwhile Mike Delfino moved his wife Erin O’Brien and their son Sheppard and daughter Malin out of Glendale, Calif. and to Chanhassen, Minn. In 2015, he landed a starring role in the Hallmark Channel’s series adaptation of its popular film franchise The Good Witch. He’s also recurred on Devious Maids and guest-starred on NCIS: New Orleans.Denton’s recent credits include Christmas on Cherry Lane as well as The Real West.Danny Feld/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Tibrina Hobson/WireImageDoug SavantSince his eight seasons as Lynette’s husband Tom Scavo, Savant has kept busy making the guest-star rounds on TV shows as varied as Criminal Minds, 9-1-1, Lucifer and NCIS.He is married to Melrose Place actress Laura Leighton, with whom he shares children Lucy and Jack. Savant also has two kids, Arianna and Madeline, from his first marriage to Dawn Savant.Danny Feld/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Merritt/Radarpics for NVFF18/ShutterstockBrenda StrongAs the show’s omnipresent and deceased narrator Mary Alice Young, Strong was heard often but seen little during her time on the show.Since then, she’s been much more visible. She starred as Ann Ewing in TNT’s 2012 revival of Dallas before landing her role as Lex and Lena Luthor’s mother Lillian on Supergirl. Strong has also acted in 13 Reasons Why, Unprisoned, Scandal, Fear the Walking Dead and others. She married director-actor John Farmanesh-Bocca in 2015 four years after divorcing first husband Tom Henri, who is the father of her son Zakery Henri.Ron Tom/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Paul Archuleta/FilmMagicMadison De La GarzaJoining the show as Gabrielle and Carlos’ daughter Juanita after the time jump between seasons four and five, De La Garza remained with the show through its series finale. Since Desperate Housewives wrapped, the younger half-sister of Demi Lovato has grown up (she turned 18 in December 2019) and has appeared in the films Caged No More and Gnome Alone as well as in shows like Good Luck Charlie and Bad Teacher.De La Garza has gotten candid about the hate she received over her appearance while on Desperate Housewives, which she said led her to develop an eating disorder.”I would spend hours and hours reading comments,” she recalled on a 2023 episode of the Heart of the Matter podcast. “They said things like they wanted me to die because of what I looked like. It was like, ‘Ugly fat cow. And I hope you get cancer and die because you’re so fat.’ And just horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible things. And this is when I was 6, 7, 8 years old.”
“My first memories of trying to starve myself, I was 7 years old,” she continued. “A lot of it came from reading those comments. My family had no idea that this was going on. My mom had no idea that I was seeing these things, that I was reading these things, because I was very, very sneaky about it.”In September 2024, she announced she’s expecting a baby with Ryan Mitchell. Sadly, the child, a daughter named Xiomara, died later that month after being delivered via an emergency C-section, the actress said the following October.Danny Feld/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Jennifer Lourie/Getty ImagesRichard BurgiAs Susan’s ex-husband Karl Mayer, Burgi’s status on the show often fluctuated. Beginning as a recurring guest star in season one, he was promoted to series regular in season two, demoted to guest in three and four, recurring in five and six, and returning as a guest in eight. Since the series wrapped, Burgi has guest-starred on Hawaii Five-0, General Hospital and Devious Maids, among other shows. The actor has also taken on the role of father to kids Samuel and Jack.Ron Tom/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Jamie McCarthy/Getty ImagesDana DelanyAfter initially declining the role of Bree, Delany joined the show in season four as the mysterious Katherine Mayfair. She left after season six to star in her own ABC series, Body of Proof. When the medical procedural was canceled after three seasons, Delany landed lead roles in the series Hand of God and The Code. She’s also appeared in Tulsa King, Mayans M.C. and O Hóspede Americano.Ron Tom/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Jon Kopaloff/Getty ImagesAndrea BowenBowen played Susan’s daughter Julie on Desperate Housewives.When the show wrapped, she went on to star in the teen comedy G.B.F. and land roles in several TV movies, including Hall Pass Nightmare, Psycho Sister-In-Law and A Wedding Wonderland.Bowen has also continued her voice work as the English version of Aerith Gainsborough in the video games Final Fantasy Explorers, Mobius Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts III.She’s in a relationship with her Desperate Housweives costar Josh Zuckerman, who played The Fairview Strangler Eddie Orlofsky.
Ron Tom/Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, John Lamparski/Getty Images for Sheen Center for Thought & CultureVanessa WilliamsAfter starring as late Wisteria Lane addition Renee Perry in the show’s final two seasons, Williams appeared on 666 Park Avenue, Daytime Divas, The Good Wife and The Librarians. The Ugly Betty alum has also acted in Velma, Girls5eva and Tripped Up. In addition, Williams does voiceover work, including starring as the M&M Ms. Brown and Captain Beakman on the animated series T.O.T.S. She is also the mother to four children: Melanie, Jillian and Devin, whom she shares with her first husband Ramon Hervey II, and Sasha, whom she welcomed with her second husband Rick Fox. Williams tied the knot a third time with Jim Skrip. However, they later divorced.Moshe Brakha/Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, Paul Archuleta/Getty ImagesJesse MetcalfeMetcalfe’s role as the hot gardener John Rowland on the premiere season launched him into fame. He went on to star in the film John Tucker Must Die and appear on the shows Dallas and Chesapeake Shores.Metcalfe has also been open about the challenges he’s faced, including his battle with addiction.”Getting sober for me was a 20-year saga, really, from when I first started using,” he said on a February 2024 episode of Eric Worre’s Network Marketing Pro podcast. “I do believe that those struggles made me who I am today. I do believe that I have an empathy and a humanity about me that I bring to my work, that I bring to my personal relationships now. I have an appreciation for that depth, but it wasn’t easy.”Today, Metcalfe is continuing to act—recently appearing in Clear Cut and Divine Influencer—as well as make music.Bob D’Amico/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Taylor Hill/FilmMagicMark MosesAs Mary Alice’s shady husband Paul Young, Moses starred in the show’s first two seasons before returning to Wisteria Lane in season seven a series regular all over again. Since the show wrapped, the actor has appeared in the films like Cesar Chavez, Bombshell and Reagan. He also portrayed Duck Phillips on Mad Men and has acted on shows like Salvation, The Last Ship, Deputy and Alaska Daily.Ron Tom/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Jesse Grant/WireImageCody KaschIn addition to playing Mary Alice’s son Zach, Kasch has guest-starred on shows like Law & Order: SVU, CSI and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Other performances have included his work in Chain Letter, The Last Rescue, Powder and Gold and Normal, Ohio.Ron Tom/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Albert L. Ortega/Getty ImagesShawn PyfromWith his eight seasons playing Bree’s son Andrew behind him, Pyfrom went on to appear in an episode of Rizzoli & Isles, the TV movie Killing Lincoln, and the films Hard Surfaces, Rudy’s Canvas and A Deadly Price for Her Pretty Face.After Philip Seymour Hoffman’s 2014 overdose and death, Pyfrom shared that, as of February that year, he was five months sober.As he wrote on Tumblr at the time, “Knowing that if, by sharing my story, I could potentially save a life—and didn’t; that I would no longer be able to look myself in the mirror with the same pride I’ve allowed myself to have, for overcoming the thing that almost took my life.”Abc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, Jason Mendez/Getty ImagesKyle MacLachlanAfter starring as Bree’s second husband Orson in seasons three through six, MacLachlan quit the show in 2010 so he wouldn’t have to keep up his constant cross-country commute from New York City. (However, he did return as a guest star in the show’s final two seasons.) Since his time on the series, he’s appeared in films like Inside Out (providing the voice of Riley’s dad Mr. Anderson), The House with a Clock in Its Walls, Tesla and Blink Twice. MacLachlan also acted on shows like Portlandia and Agents of SHIELD and returned to his seminal role of Dale Cooper for Showtime’s Twin Peaks revival in 2017 (earning a Golden Globe nod for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film).Ron Tom/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesAlfre WoodardAfter joining the series as new Wisteria Lane resident Betty Applewhite for the show’s second season, Woodard kept busy, starring in short-lived shows including My Own Worst Enemy, Three Rivers, and State of Affairs before joining Netflix’s Marvel TV universe as the villainous Mariah Stokes in Luke Cage. She also starred in Apple TV+’s See and Marvel’s series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. On the film side, Woodard has acted in films like Beauty Shop, The Family That Preys, 12 Years a Slave, Annabelle, The Lion King and Salem’s Lot.Ron Tom/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Dominik Bindl/Getty ImagesNeal McDonoughSince starring as Edie’s creepy husband Dave Williams in season five of the show, McDonough has appeared on series like Agents of SHIELD, Justified and Altered Carbon while bringing to life the iconic role of Damian Darhk across the Arrowverse. In 2011, he appeared as Dum Dum Dugan in Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger. McDonough also acted in films including Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, Proud Mary and Sonic the Hedgehog.He is married to wife Ruvé Robertson and is a father to their children. A devout Catholic who refuses to film sex or kissing scenes, McDonough claimed his faith got him fired from the lead role of the 2010 drama Scoundrels over his refusal to film certain scenes.Ron Tom/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTVDrea de MatteoAfter spending one season on Wisteria Lane as Angie Bolen, the Sopranos vet joined the cast of Sons of Anarchy through its 2014 finale. She also appeared in the films Free Ride and Dark Places and guest-starred on The Mindy Project and Agents of SHIELD. From 2016 to 2018, the actress co-starred on NBC’s cop drama Shades of Blue and recurred on ABC’s A Million Little Things.In April 2011, de Matteo and longtime partner Waylon Jennings welcomed their second child, son Waylon Albert “Blackjack” Jennings. (Daughter Alabama Gypsyrose Jennings was born in 2007.) The couple’s relationship ended shortly thereafter. In 2015, de Matteo became engaged to Whitesnake bass guitarist Michael Devin. However, they later split. She is now in a relationship with Robby Staebler.In addition to acting—with recent projects including One Way and Collide—de Matteo has spoken about how she earns income from OnlyFans.Ron Tom/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Paul Archuleta/FilmMagicKevin RahmAfter playing Lee, one half of Wisteria Lane’s resident gay couple, for the show’s final five seasons, Rahm appeared on shows like Mad Men, Bates Motel, Madam Secretary, Lethal Weapon and Love, Victor.As for his film work, he’s landed roles in movies like Nightcrawler, Clinical and The Oath. Shortly before the Desperate Housewives series finale aired, he married cardio-thoracic surgeon Amy Lonkar on April 28, 2012. The pair welcomed a daughter two years later.Danny Feld/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Nicholas Hunt/Getty ImagesTuc WatkinsSince playing Bob, the other half of Wisteria Lane’s gay couple who is married to Lee, Watkins guest-starred on shows like Parks and Recreation, Bob’s Burgers and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The One Life to Live alum has also appeared on series like Black Monday, Uncoupled and The Great North.What’s more, Watkins is a star on the stage. He appeared in the 2018 Broadway revival of the play The Boys in the Band, returning to the role of Hank for Ryan Murphy’s film adaptation. In April 2013, Watkins came out as gay and shared he’d welcomed twins via a surrogate the prior December. He’s in a relationship with fellow Broadway star Andrew Rannells.Ron Tom/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Michael Tullberg/Getty ImagesMaiara WalshAfter starring in season six as Carlos and Gabrielle’s niece Ana Solis, Walsh appeared on shows like The Vampire Diaries, Switched at Birth, The Last Ship, Criminal Minds, Good Trouble and Reis.Danny Feld / Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Angela Weiss/Getty ImageCharles MesureAfter joining Desperate Housewives in its final season as the Australian real estate developer Ben Faulkner who went on to marry Williams’ Renee, Mesure appeared on shows as varied as Once Upon a Time, General Hospital, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce and The Magicians.Ron Tom/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images, Walter McBride/Getty ImagesJonathan CakeAfter starring as Chuck Vance, a detective involved with Bree, in the show’s final two seasons, Cake appeared on shows like Law & Order: SVU, The Affair, Seal Team, Legends of Tomorrow, Grey’s Anatomy and Stargirl.For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! 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