More than 20 years after Bette fell through, Bette Midler is opening up about the CBS sitcom and how Lindsay Lohan may have been responsible for its failure.
During her appearance on the Fail Better podcast, Midler spoke about the show, calling it a “mistake.” She then said she regretted not suing Lohan after she dropped out of the show following the pilot.
“I did a television show, Bette. Does it get any more generic than that? A big, big, big mistake,” she told the podcast’s host, David Duchovny. She then pointed out why the show was a mistake, pointing out that it had the “wrong motivation.”
“It was part of the media I simply did not understand,” Midler continued. She said that she watched, appreciated, and enjoyed the show. However, she didn’t know what it meant to make it.
Bette noted that while she made theatrical live events, films, and even a variety television show, she had never done a situation comedy before. “I didn’t realize what the pace was. And I didn’t understand what the hierarchy was. And no one bothered to tell me.”
Midler also pointed out that she was “kicked to the curb immediately” without any direction. “But because I was so green, I didn’t understand what my options were, what choices I could have made to improve my situation. I didn’t know that I could have taken charge.”
Bette made its debut on CBS in October 2000 and ran until March 2001. Although the first season consisted of 18 episodes, two went unaired. The show was canceled after one season.
Bette Midler Began to Notice Things Happening Right After Lindsay Lohan Departed From the Show
During the pilot episode of Bette, Lindsay Lohan appeared as Midler’s daughter Rose. However, Lohan ended up leaving the show after one episode.
Bette Midler said she noticed a shift right after Lindsay Lohan left the sitcom. She said things were happening that were “so astonishing” to her.
“After the pilot, Lindsay Lohan decided she didn’t want to do it, or she had other fish to fry,” Midler said. “So Lindsay Lohan left the building and I said, well, now what do you do? And the studio didn’t help me. It was extremely chaotic.”
Bette Midler pointed out that if she had been in her right mind, she would have sued Lindsay Lohan. “But I seem to have been cosseted in some way that I couldn’t get to the writer’s room. I couldn’t speak to the showrunner. I couldn’t make myself clear.”
Midler fully admitted she was “thrilled” that the show only lasted for one season.
The reflection of Bette’s failure comes just after Lohan shared a promo picture for the sitcom. Lohan was seen standing next to Midler. “Had such a blast filming with the incredible [Bette Midler],” she captioned the post.