Rose McGowan Says Charmed Executives Closely Monitored Her Weight

Rose McGowan has said that executives on the TV series Charmed were constantly aware of — and focused on — her weight during her time on the show.

Speaking on a recent episode of the We Need to Talk podcast, McGowan recalled how studio executives would scrutinize her appearance when she returned for new seasons.

“They would circle around me to check my weight when I came back from season to season,” she said. “I think it was just really inspecting their product.”

McGowan joined Charmed in 2001 for its fourth season, replacing Shannen Doherty. The supernatural drama followed three sisters who discover they are powerful witches balancing everyday life with fighting evil. The series also starred Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs.

Podcast host Paul C. Brunson noted that many people describe that era of television as “a different time.” McGowan partly agreed, saying that such behavior was widely accepted back then.

“There was no chill with it. It was completely fine to be that way,” she said. “Now they have to kind of pay lip service to being different.”

Charmed was produced by Spelling Television and aired on The WB, both of which no longer exist.

Since leaving the show, McGowan has become a prominent voice in the #MeToo movement. She was among the first women to publicly accuse former film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, allegations he has denied.

When asked whether Hollywood has truly changed since her Charmed years, McGowan said she is unsure.

“I don’t know,” she said. “People ask, ‘Do you think Hollywood’s changed?’ I really don’t know. In some ways, yes — especially since it’s not really a major player on the world stage anymore.”

McGowan has also spoken previously about the difficulties of replacing Doherty, who was fired from Charmed amid reports of on-set tension. Doherty died from cancer in July 2024. A month later, McGowan appeared on a special episode of Doherty’s Let's Be Clear podcast.

“At the time I joined Charmed, I did not understand the backstory,” McGowan said. “I was just told she was fired, and nobody talked about her.”

She added that despite her fame from films like Scream and Jawbreaker, she felt increasingly isolated in the industry.

“I was very famous at that point, but I was non-hirable,” McGowan said. “The media machine lies about you, and that weight is something Shannen and I later talked about and related to.”