Modern Family Actor Ed O’Neill Regrets His Fallout With Married With Children Co-star Amanda Bearse

Actor Ed O’Neill who is best known as Al Bundy from “Married … With Children,” recently appeared on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s podcast, “Dinner’s On Me,”. Among several other revelations, Ed also addressed his longstanding rift with co-star Amanda Bearse. The rift stemmed from a regrettable incident surrounding a TV Guide cover shoot.

Ed O’Neill opens up about his feud with Amanda Bearse

The 77-year-old candidly confessed, "I did a thing on the show that involved Amanda Bearse that I regretted." The crux of the matter revolved around a TV Guide cover shoot that left Bearse and David Garrison out of the picture. The cause? A rule limiting the number of cast members on the cover which O’Neill explained was not extended to them as an exception, unlike other shows such as 'MASH' and 'Dallas.'

The heart of the conflict emerged when Bearse urged O’Neill to advocate for her and the omitted co-stars. However, O’Neill admitted to choosing silence out of fear of losing the cover entirely and left it to their luck to secure it. "We were lucky to get it," he said back then.

Recalling Bearse’s confrontation, O’Neill shared, “‘We expect you to go to [co-creator] Ron Leavitt and tell him this doesn’t work. We’re all on the cover.'” Unfortunately, O’Neill fell short of meeting that expectation and it led to lingering regrets about his handling of the situation.

What was the aftermath of Ed O’Neill and Amanda Bearse’s rift?

Despite the tension, O’Neill eventually posed for the TV Guide cover in 1989 alongside co-stars Katey Sagal, Christina Applegate, and David Faustino. His popular show, “Married … With Children,” which was known for defying the odds and ran for an impressive 11 seasons from 1987 to 1997.

Ed O’Neill is a proud nominee of two Golden Globes and three Primetime Emmy Awards. He has also won four Screen Actors Guild Awards.