DCSC1973

NBC named a sitcom after Valerie Harper. In 1987 she asked for a raise, and Lorimar fired her, killed off her character and renamed the show. A jury later made them pay her $1.4 million. In the video below, she tells what happened the morning after she came back to work. She was already a TV star: Rhoda, four Emmys. "Valerie" was her show, made by Lorimar for NBC. After a fight over pay, she came back to the set. "We did the show, we filmed it, and then the next morning... they had buyer's remorse." Her character died off-screen. Sandy Duncan was brought in. The show became "Valerie's Family," then "The Hogan Family." "If I were a new actress, I think my life would have been over," she said. She sued. The jury found Lorimar had wrongfully fired her. On top of the $1.4 million, it gave her 12.5% of the show's profits. "They lost, big time." Was she a star asking for too much, or a studio that thought she would just walk away? Every day here: a famous name, real numbers, and who kept the money.