> Did Nicollette Sheridan fuq up her Hollywood career by being a pain in the ass to work with?

Yes, Nicollette Sheridan significantly derailed her Hollywood career, but it wasn't just due to a reputation for being difficult—it was primarily because she engaged in a massive, scorched-earth lawsuit against her boss and a major network.

While behind-the-scenes friction certainly played a role, the downfall of her mainstream career was cemented by the legal fallout surrounding her exit from Desperate Housewives.

Here is how the situation unfolded:

1. The Firing and Alleged Assault

In 2009, Sheridan’s popular character, Edie Britt, was abruptly killed off Desperate Housewives. In 2010, Sheridan filed a high-profile $20 million lawsuit against show creator Marc Cherry, ABC, and Touchstone Television. She alleged that during a September 2008 rehearsal, she questioned a script line, and Cherry responded by forcefully hitting her across the face and head. She claimed that when she reported the assault to upper management, Cherry retaliated by writing her off the show.

2. The "Difficult to Work With" Defense

During the explosive 2012 trial, Marc Cherry and ABC fighting back directly attacked Sheridan's professionalism to justify her termination. Cherry testified that writing her off was a creative and cost-cutting decision. However, he also listed several instances of alleged unprofessional behavior, claiming Sheridan was frequently tardy, forgot her lines, was rude to a prop worker, and caused friction with her co-stars. Late co-star Kathryn Joosten also publicly stated that Sheridan brought unnecessary drama to the set and kept people waiting.

3. Industry Blacklisting and "Career Suicide"

Ultimately, a judge declared a mistrial in 2012, and after years of appeals, Sheridan's lawsuit was officially tossed out in 2017.
By suing a Hollywood heavyweight like Marc Cherry and a massive network like ABC/Disney, Sheridan committed what industry insiders call career suicide. In a tight-knit industry, major studios became terrified of hiring her due to the perceived risk of litigation. Sheridan later opened up about this period, stating she felt completely vilified, demoralized, and blacklisted by "the machine" for speaking out. She went nearly a decade without any major Hollywood roles.

4. Later Career

Sheridan's career did eventually see a modest revival. In 2018, she returned to prime-time television when she was cast as the iconic Alexis Carrington in The CW’s reboot of Dynasty. Though she eventually left that show to focus on family matters, the role broke her long post-lawsuit drought and helped rehab her image as a working actress.