If you were flipping channels back in the ’90s, then chances are Melissa Joan Hart would be dominating [music] your TV screen every Friday night. From Nickelodeon’s Clarissa Explains It All to the ultra classic Sabrina the Teenage Witch, she was the ultimate sitcom ItG girl.
But Sabrina was more than just a TGIF hit. She was starring in the number one show of the lineup, shattering records with its groundbreaking all female lead cast. But Melissa Joan Hart would become a ‘9s icon. Starring alongside Britney Spears in her iconic You Drive Me Crazy music video to even making the jump onto the big screen, Melissa was truly dominating the decade of the 1990s.
Now, this was all before TMZ was chasing starlets down the street, documenting their every move. So, most fans had no idea what was really going on behind the scenes. But tonight, me and Shelby are diving deep into the wild nights at the Playboy Mansion, all the way to the heart of the Hollywood party scene. Melissa was living it up, but was she in too deep? As one singular magazine spread nearly sent her entire career crashing down [music] in front of the entire world.
So, grab a snack cuz we’re about to dive deep into the magical and mystical world of Melissa Joan Hart and just how she cast the spell and became one of the most iconic ’90s icons of all time. [music] Melissa Jonheart’s journey to becoming the ‘9s teen queen actually started way back in the early 80s at just 4 years old.
She was hooked on the kid show The Romper Room and was convinced [music] the only way she could ever be on it was to get on TV herself. So her mom, Paula Hart, bought a train ticket from Long Island to New York City and [music] started taking Melissa on auditions to turn that dream into a reality. Immediately, Melissa would book her first commercial for a doll called Splashy.
From there, she was unstoppable. Within her [music] first year, she landed 22 national spots. From Rice Krispies and Tylenol [music] to Fritos, Lifesavers, and even the iconic Barbie Dreamhouse. If you were a kid in the 80s, you definitely saw Melissa on your TV during commercial breaks. >> Hey, want to play dress up? >> No. How come? Don’t feel good.
Aren’t you going to play our song for us? >> I kind of forgot it. >> How about having a bowl of Rice Krispies and we’ll give you a hand. >> Now I remember. >> Between the ages of 4 and 11, Melissa racked up over a hundred commercials, performed in musical theater, and guest spotted on shows like The Equalizer and SNL.
By 1990, she was ready for something bigger. So, she started auditioning for two major sitcoms, Blossom and Clarissa [music] Explains It All. She actually landed both roles, but she had a big decision to make. Take a supporting part on a major NBC show [music] or be the lead on Nickelodeon, who was relatively new to the sitcom world.
She took the risk, packed her [music] bags, and headed to Orlando, betting everything on Clarissa. >> Clarissa explains >> me, Clarissa. First of all, I can deal with just about anything. Ferg face, worms, [music] mom’s tofu sundaes. Even when I panic, it’s cool panic. May I be excused to freak out? I’m not allowed to drive until I’m old enough to get my license.
Parents are such sticklers for the law and the 95,000 Christmas cards. Well, um, I can explain. >> Clarissa Explains It All Every Sunday at 6:30, 5:30 Central. >> I’m Nickelodeon. >> Clarissa Explains It All was groundbreaking for more than just its iconic fashion, sarcastic humor, and breaking the fourth wall. It was one of the very first liveaction [music] sitcoms Nickelodeon ever developed for its own network and the first ever to have a lead that was a teenage girl.
It was truly the prototype [music] that paved the way for shows like The Amanda Show, Zoe 101, and I Carly. According to Melissa, the show did well its first season, but it was the second season [music] where it really started to explode in popularity. All of a sudden, she was getting recognized out in public and was quickly becoming [music] Nickelodeon’s biggest star.
They started putting Melissa in all of the Nick commercials, game shows, competitions, [music] and show promotions. >> Well, then please welcome the Nickelodeon Authority on everything from Clarissa Explains It All, Melissa Joan Hart. >> All you have to do is watch me from Portal 5, answer a simple question, and send in a postcard.
for your chance to win a date with Fera, plus hundreds of other runner-up prizes. >> I’m [music] hosting Snicks and bring you the world premiere of All That a totally cool special. >> Amanda, what are you doing? >> Dipping my burger. >> Is that What is that hot sauce? [music] It’s hot chocolate sauce. I’ve been looking FOR THIS ALL DAY, MAN.
>> OH, that’s disgusting. >> In 1994, after 65 episodes, Clarissa explains it all was abruptly cancelled. The network felt like Melissa, who was now 17, had outgrown the show’s target demographic. However, the show’s creator, Mitchell Criedman, wanted to keep the show going in hopes that the audience could grow with Clarissa.
So, they shot a spin-off pilot [music] called Clarissa Now and shopped it to CBS. Clarissa Explains It All is no longer um being shot, but we it’s it’ll repeat um on Nickelodeon for a while and then um actually we did a pilot for CBS in December and we’re still waiting to hear on that. So, it’s called Clarissa.
Now, Clarissa’s graduated high school. She’s moved to New York City, out of the house. And she’s working for a newspaper. Isn’t this great? Everywhere you go in New York, tons and tons and tons of people. Not just any people. The coolest, most fascinating people in the world.
Honey, get your handle OFF OF MY BUTT. >> CBS ultimately wasn’t interested because it was just too different from the original. In 1995, Nickelodeon wanted to give it a shot, so they aired the pilot to test [music] the ratings, but it flopped and the show was never picked up. Melissa was feeling pretty discouraged [music] by this point.
She had heard all the horror stories of child stars. She decided it would be best to take [music] a step back from acting and go to NYU to focus on other career paths. However, that acting break would be extremely short-lived. See, her mom Paula had an idea that was going to launch her daughter’s career to a whole new level.
>> She had started managing my career right after Clarissa [music] because she didn’t like the offers I was getting after Clarissa. She didn’t like the direction. She’s like, she was known on a kids show and now you [music] want to throw her in these adult roles. My mother um was handed a comic book on a playground in New York City and it was the Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which is an Archie comic [music] and they said, “We think this would be a great next role for Melissa.
” My mom took it, went to Archie Comic, bought the rights [music] to it for a dollar, took it to Viacom, said, “I want to make a TV movie.” They were like, “Let’s make a movie for Showtime.” And then from that, [music] my mom kept saying, “It would be a great TV show. It’ be a great TV show. It’ be a great TV show.” Melissa’s mom, Paula, immediately got to work.
She knew she could turn Sabrina the Teenage Witch into an entire franchise. Through her very own production company, Heartbreak Films, she teamed up with Viacom to produce Sabrina the Teenage Witch TV movie. And while she was executively producing that film, she was already in the editing bay cutting together a trailer to pitch Sabrina as a full-on sitcom.
ABC was very interested, but they first wanted to see how the movie would do for their audiences. Well, when it aired on April 7th, 1996, it was an instant smash hit. ABC wasted no time and ordered 13 more episodes for their iconic TGIF lineup. >> Now, it’s interesting. You work with your mom.
Your your [music] your mom runs your production company with you. Is that right? >> Yes. It’s called Heartbreak Films. And we >> What are the titles? Are you Do you are you both co-executive producers or something? >> One of us is president, one of us is vice president. We [music] haven’t quite figured it out yet. >> I don’t think it would be very strange to be in that kind of relationship with your mom.
>> No, it’s great because >> really you never have like a fight with her where you buy 51% of the stock behind her back. [laughter] >> Do you ever ever pick up the phone and go, “We’re having a problem with mommy.” >> Hey, you know, by the way, do you know Brooks? >> I’m sorry. No, >> you should have a conversation with her.
Maybe. >> Why? >> What the mom? Oh, she was working with the mom. Oh, >> I like her. I love her. >> I love her. Sorry, Cody. >> WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? >> When it came to the TV show’s development, Paula Hart secured herself as an executive producer credit, and this was almost unheard of for a stage mom.
She was involved in every step of the process, hiring directors, approving scripts, and overseeing casting. When speaking about Paula, the president of Viacom even said, quote, “It’s her show to deliver week in and week out.” Needless to say, there was never any question on who would play Sabrina, as the role was quite literally made for Melissa Joan Hart.
If you thought Bewitched was cool, wait till [music] you check out Sabrina the Teenage Witch. >> Cool. >> Cool. >> Sabrina is just like any other [music] girl. Or is she? >> She’s levitating. Let’s wake her up and tell her she’s a witch. [music] >> I love being a witch. Melissa Joan Hart is Sabrina the Teenage Witch on TGIF.
>> For the premiere of my new show, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I want to clear up a major misconception about witches. It’s not that easy to turn people into toads. You have to file with the Witches Union, get the proper permits, and go through a waiting period. They do grant one exception.
A witch can turn every person into a toad that misses the premiere of her new TGIF show. >> Okay, just kidding. Jeez. [music] On September 27th, 1996, Sabrina the Teenage Witch would debut to a massive audience of 17 million viewers, even beating out Clueless, who everyone thought was going to be the main TGIF hit.
Now, if you’ve seen our past videos, you know, 17 million viewers is a ton. That’s encroaching on the numbers of That’s So, the Sweet Life of Hannah Montana, and this was in the ‘9s. Melissa was officially now a part of another groundbreaking sitcom. And Sabrina the Teenage Witch wasn’t like anything else on TV in the mid ‘9s. Yeah, there was magic, spells, portals, and of course, Salem the talking cat.
But it was much more than that. The show captured a totally different family dynamic. A teenage girl navigating all the highs and lows of high school while being raised by her quirky, lovable aunts, Hilda and Zelda. And with a teen girl at the center, it was a fully femaleled show, something that genuinely wasn’t as common back in the ’90s.
Now, Melissa was already a household name from being Clarissa on Nickelodeon, but Sabrina catapulted her to a whole other level of fame. Sabrina the Teenage Witch [music] became the number one highest rated show of Friday Night Television. [cheering] [music] [cheering] >> [music] >> Melissa Joan Hart had quickly become the ‘9s sitcom icon of a generation.
There were Sabrina Barbies, stuffed animals, PC games, books, magazines, pajamas, posters, backpacks, school supplies. Her face was everywhere. [music] And if you were a kid in the ‘9s, chances are you owned at least one piece of Sabrina merchandise. [music] And comment below what it is cuz I want to see everything they made back then.
Anyway, despite all of Melissa’s success in the TV world, by 1999, she was ready for even more, something different. She [music] was now 22 years old and wanted to get a taste of the big screen. Now, don’t get me wrong, Melissa still loved Sabrina and had no plans to leave the show. She just also wanted to try her hand at other projects.
[music] She auditioned for a romcom called Drive Me Crazy. And when she did a screen test with co-star Adrien Grineer, the chemistry was off the charts. [music] And just like that, she landed the role. Around the same time, a 17-year-old pop star named Britney Spears was absolutely dominating the pop world with her album, Baby One More Time.
Well, it just so happens that Britney had a song called You Drive Me Crazy, which was perfect for Melissa’s new movie she was just cast in. So, they asked Britney to remix it and shoot a music video with Melissa and Adrien, a win-win to promote both the song and the [music] movie. When the music video dropped in the summer of 99, it became an instant classic.
Everyone was obsessed with the crazy video. [music] Britney’s pigtails, her gum, her glasses. She was giving an entire new look. It was official. The princess of pop and the queen of sitcoms had officially teamed up and it was huge. Britney Spears scored a VMA nomination for the video and it was won for the pop culture history books.
Britney and Melissa would embark on a PR tour together like hosting TRL and going on the news. >> I’m here with Melissa John Hart and we’ve got someone in the audience with a question. What’s your question? Uh, how you doing, Britney? I was wondering if uh you were going to appear in the uh Drive Me Crazy movie since Melissa appeared in your video.
>> Um, no. I wish. I’m not in the movie, but she was uh she was in the premiere of Sabrina, if anyone watched it last week. >> I was supposed to go to this Britney Spears concert and >> say no more. >> You’re not enjoying this, are you? >> No, it’s great. It’s just it’s not that much fun alone. >> Tell me about it. Like, you’d know.
You’re always surrounded by people >> and sometimes that’s the loneliest place to be. You know, maybe that’s why I’ve been having these weird one-on-one dreams so often. They drive me crazy. >> Britney broke the [music] news while having a ball taping an episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She plays herself, but that didn’t stop the butterflies.
It’s kind of nerve-wracking [music] because I’m used to singing and performing and um doing videos and stuff and this is really actually totally different because you have all these people surrounding you and it’s kind of intimidating and all these cameras. >> Britney’s new video, You Drive Me Crazy, features an appearance by Melissa Joan Hart.
So, Britney returned the favor by guest starring on Melissa’s show. >> It’s been great, actually. It’s nice. It’s like having a girlfriend here hanging out, you know? >> Easier, huh? The 17-year-old sensation also revealed she’s already discussing a possible series of her own. >> Hey everybody, I’m Britney Sears. >> And I’m Melissa Joon Hart.
And for the next half hour, Britney and I will join forces to save a male fashion victim [music] from hurting himself and others with his bad taste. He’s been in a small room kind of hidden away. >> He doesn’t know that it’s me and Melissa. >> We’re going to surprise him. >> Yeah. That we’re going to be making him over. >> Now, while working with Britney, Melissa Joan Hart realized just how controlled Britney really was.
Every moment of her entire life was scheduled out, and she was only a 17-year-old girl. Melissa, who was a few years older, felt like Britney just needed to let loose a bit and have a good time, away from work and away from the cameras. So, she offered to take a 17-year-old Britney Spears out for a night on the Hollywood party scene.
>> She looked at me, I said to her one day like, “Let’s go to lunch.” And she was like, “Yes, let’s let’s [music] do that.” And then someone over her shoulder is like, “No, no, no. you have to go to the gym and then you have to go to you as a vocal coach and then you have to go um do a press interview and then you have a fitting and then you have your show tonight and then and she’s like oh [music] sorry.
So I was like you know what let’s you come over for dinner tonight. I I’ll come pick you up. So I snuck her out of the hotel and I took her to a club and I was like let’s go dancing. She’s like yeah okay. So we went to this club and we were dancing and then [music] she got whisked away to this table and was hanging out with all these people that were just basically kissing her ass and um I went off and was hanging out and doing my thing and then I went back together.
I’m like, I got to I got to work [music] tomorrow. Do you you know, let’s go. Let’s get out of here. And she’s like, I’m going to hang a little longer. And they’re like, we’ll get her home safe. [music] Don’t worry. I’m like, okay. And so, you know, I don’t know exactly if that was the first time she’d ever been in a situation [music] like that, but I think it was the first time it really like, you know, in Hollywood, it really kind of caught her.
I saw that she was just surrounded by people, never able to break free. And I was like, “Hey, want to come?” I would go to a club every night. I love dancing and I loved going out, but I also knew to be responsible [music] and like when to stop and when only one drink and all these things. And she was underage and young and and uh but I just was like, “Let’s go out.
We’re just going to go out and have some fun.” And uh I feel really guilty about that still to this [music] day because I should have known better being a big sister. >> Now, back in the late ‘9s, there was no TMZ chasing down celebrities at nightclubs. So, their partying wasn’t on display as [music] much as it was in the early 2000s like with Paris, Britney, and Lindsay.
Because of this, Melissa was able to keep her partying days way more under wraps. However, the partying would catch up with Melissa towards the end of 1999. All while her brand new movie was premiering. When a child star grows up, everyone’s watching, waiting for the slip up, or the moment they finally [music] break free from that kid star image.
For Melissa, that moment came with Drive Me Crazy. Mind you, it was PG-13 [music] and she was still playing a high schooler. But one scene where her character gets drunk had the media spinning it as a calculated move to shed [music] her squeaky clean image that quote bankrolled her family’s heartbreak films.
And during the PR run, Melissa couldn’t [music] escape the questions about taking more adult roles with a largely kid audience. >> You know, hopefully the parents would, you know, kind of decide whether or not their children could handle something like that. But I don’t, you know, I try [music] not to I take that into consideration.
and I don’t want to, you know, lose the lose the audience that’s been following me for years, but at the same time, I’ve also got to do what’s good for my career. So, it’s kind of a fine line. >> I read Melissa’s entire book, Melissa Explains It all, and she does not hold back. She names names and goes into great detail about her Hollywood partying days.
Like, the only time she was ever offered white powder was by Paris Hilton. Quote, “I turned it down.” She asked to bum a Parliament [music] light and she dipped the recess filter end into a baggie. asked if I wanted some. It pissed me off that she wasted my cigarette for that. She also wrote about her dating life, like how when she briefly dated Danny Mastersonson, he would push her into garbage or how she would have to dress in lots of layers because he was handsy and aggressive.
Mind you, this book came out before his allegations and conviction. >> Melissa was an independent adult in a big city, a true departure from the character she played. I took advantage of being in LA and being 20 and then 21 and going to the parties and going to the clubs, you know, starting to make my own money, bought my own house, starting to go out and party and do all this crazy fun stuff and just really enjoying my life as an adult for the first time.
Despite her many late nights out on the Sunset Strip, Melissa had managed to steer clear of becoming a regular headline in the Gossip magazines. However, that was all about to change. Starting with a night out at [music] the Playboy Mansion. >> Actually, at the Playboy Mansion recently at the Halloween party.
>> You’re living the life. Do you go there a lot? The Playboy Mansion? >> Yeah, it’s fun. It’s It’s the only sacred thing left in Hollywood, I think. >> The only sacred thing. >> Is that what you said? >> Maybe your religious beliefs differ from mine. No, it’s the only thing left of like old hot like it, you know, I just want to be able to say, you know, that I was I partied with Hugh Hefner, you know.
Hey, cool. Come on. I know you’ve been there. >> Melissa was invited to the Midsummer Night’s Dream Playboy Mansion party where the dress code was sleepwear. In her book, she said not long after arriving at the mansion, her and a few friends decided to drop, which gave her more confidence around [music] guests like James Woods and Vince Bond.
She partied until sunrise and by the time the limo dropped her off, she barely got 30 minutes of sleep before [music] heading straight to her Maxim cover shoot. >> Probably the craziest thing from that time I was going to do the cover of Maxim magazine. And uh I had gone to the Playboy Mansion the [music] night before and had a little too much fun.
um explored a little too much of that Playboy mansion and and so the next [music] morning I roll up to the uh Maxim photo shoot and uh I was pretty hung over and um coming down and [music] here I was having a full day of now hair extensions and bikinis and I was not prepared [music] for it. So that was probably the least professional I’ve ever been in my career.
Melissa’s in the studio getting all done up, but she said she was still impaired from the party. So much so that when she saw the wardrobe, a rack of bras and panties, she didn’t really think twice about it. her publicist was there and they approved it. Now, for publicity reasons, the cover was [music] set to hit stance the day of her movie’s premiere.
And when it did, it sparked a fullblown [music] uproar. How dare Sabrina the Teenage Witch do such a provocative photo shoot? >> This is the big story in the Hollywood [music] industry. >> Look at that. That’s uh that’s uh that’s Sabrina, the teenage witch. Okay. And that white piece of fabric right there. She >> when she appeared in a Maxim magazine [music] spread to promote her new movie, Drive Me Crazy, she found herself in hot water.
The night before the photo shoot, I went to a party at the Playboy Mansion and it was an epic [music] party. In Melissa’s interview with Maxim, there were references to the Playboy Party as well as quotes about drinking and sex. Subjects not at all in line with the TGIF brand. [music] The day the Maxim cover dropped, Melissa had no idea what was going on in the media.
She had been up since 4 in the morning [music] doing press, all while stressing out about breaking up with her boyfriend, Gabriel Carpenter. Not Adrien Grineer like it was rumored. Anyways, she powered through the premiere and the breakup. But instead of hitting her own Planet Hollywood [music] afterparty, she was rushed into a limo heading for Canada to start filming for a scary movie.
Well, that’s until she got a phone call. [music] >> At the time, I thought this was like the worst day of my life. I was with my family. We had done so much press. I’ve been up since 4:00 a.m. doing like Bruce and Kathy Lee and all the press. I had to wait on the red carpet. They wanted me to wait in my car for like an hour for Britney to show up so we could do photos together.
And I was like, “Can I just go start doing the press?” Like, “Nope, you got to wait for Britney.” Then as soon as the movie started, I was whisked away to a limo. I was supposed to go shoot the movie Scary Movie in Vancouver. I was supposed to be the opening, the vivaceious big breasted one that’s like murdered or something in the beginning, >> right? And I was put in a limo and taken away and I just broke up with my boyfriend while we were in the movie and I’m like crying.
So I’ve got in the limo. I’m driving to the airport. Now I got to go fly and shoot [music] this movie. I get a call in the limo on one of those phones >> and they’re like, “You’ve been fired from the movie. You can go back to your party.” Cuz there was there was a party at Planet Hollywood, but I wasn’t. And they were like putting in my like some of my clothes were being dedicated to Planet Hollywood.
So they call in the limo and they’re like, “Okay, go to your party.” I was like, “Yes.” I find it really bizarre that Scary Movie would drop Melissa over a Maxon cover. It’s not like it was a familyfriendly film, but Melissa wasn’t bothered by it and headed straight back to her party. She was there for all of a few minutes sipping on a cocktail when her lawyer rushes over to her to let her know not to talk to [music] the press because she is not only being fired from Sabrina, but Archie Comics is suing her for breach of contract. So, I get a phone
call on my cell phone from my mother, my producer, who’s like, “What did you do?” I’m like, “I don’t know. whatever my publicist told me to do on the red cart like or at the photo shoot like I did a photo shoot for Maxim. They’re like, “What did you do? What did you do?” I’m like, “I don’t know.
” And they’re like, “We’re being fired from the show.” I’m like, “Oh my god, I’m being fired from my show. I was just fired from the movie. I just broke up with my boyfriend. I’m >> Oh my god. >> Archie Comics, the company that owns the Sabrina character, is very upset. In a recent article, Archie Comics says, this is true.
Uh Melissa’s comments about having sex and playing Sabrina drinking games have damaged the wholesome image of the Sabrina character. Also, Archie Comics wants Melissa replaced. [music] Quote, “Unless Melissa agrees to apologize for the nude pictures and interviews in this month’s editions of Maxim and Bikini magazines.” And I forgot that there’s also, look at this, more. She’s all over the place.
Should, now listen carefully and think about it. [laughter] Should a wholesome comic book character, be allowed to show off that ass? >> RG Comics argued that [music] because the Maxim cover said, quote, “Sabrina, your favorite witch, without a stitch,” she breached her contract, [music] which specifically said, “Sabrina, the character, could not pose nude.
” But Melissa didn’t do the shoot or interview as Sabrina. She had no clue [music] Maxim was going to cash in by plastering her character’s name all over it. I’ve never heard of anyone being on the cover of magazine not using their real name. They used Sabrina. And so here they were thinking I’m in breach because I’m playing the character.
I was like, “No, that was supposed to be me promoting my movie. It wasn’t supposed to be character. I didn’t I had no control over what they wrote cover.” [music] For the next few weeks, the top news I mean Regis and Kathy Lee talked about it every morning. Jay Leno talked about it every night. why is she [music] being fired from her show and all the drama.
For the next few weeks, the media continued to blow this story [music] up. All of a sudden, it was headline after headline. For gosh’s sake, Sabrina, zap something [music] on. When good witches go bad, driving us perky, wicked [music] witch, teen star conjures up new sexy image. And many, many more like it.
[music] Melissa responded to the headlines, defending herself in an interview. quote, “I’m not doing this for any kind of [music] shock value or to show that I can do this. I’m just trying to have fun more than anything. The company [music] that does my show isn’t too happy. Actually, a couple of endorsement deals have [music] fallen apart because of it.
” Bottom line, I’m 23. I can do what I want. It’s my career. >> What is What is What is the controversy about? What do you know? >> Oh, just, you know, that that I’m trying to change my image and that um I’m trying to act older and and whatnot, but I’m 23. The bottom line is I’m 23 years old. I’ve [music] I’ve always played teenagers and I’m not a teenager.
So, >> if you want to change your image, you’re saying you’re saying you’re you’re growing up and you’re you’re not >> Well, I’m I Yeah, I am. >> How much longer do you want to do the Teenage Witch Sabrina? >> Um, you know, we’ve got this season. We’re bought out through this season and then hopefully next season. We’ll see.
I love the people I work with, so I don’t want to give up on them. >> And uh I love doing the show. It’s fun. It’s great. I get to work with my family. >> Jay, do you want to do a few more years or just one more year? What do you think? >> I think maybe two more years. Go back. 4 years. >> Was that the end of Sabrina? Like was that the Okay, I was going to say >> nothing came of it.
But of course in the moment I didn’t know what was going on and uh what happened was then it became like they had no ground to stand on. So I wrote an apology letter and it was all gone. >> Luckily in the end she didn’t lose Sabrina but her career was very very much impacted. She lost endorsement deals, movie roles and the very next year ABC decided it was no longer going to air Sabrina.
Instead, the show was picked up by the WB, which [music] allowed it to continue on for three more years. >> You know, the last time you were here, you it was just as these sort of revealing pictures came out in Maxim magazine, and it like well, it caused a huge I mean, it was a huge, it wasn’t >> going became a really big deal.
Um, it’s funny cuz it didn’t turn out to anything, you know, but, uh, I thought it was funny [music] because, you know, it was a men’s magazine and and kids ended up seeing and it became a big [music] thing about, well, kids are going to see her, you know, she’s she’s kind of an idol to young kids and kids wouldn’t have seen it if the press didn’t show it.
If like Reese and Kathy Lee didn’t hold it up on TV, no access to that. >> Look at Melissa. Yeah. There’s no way anyone except, you know, older males would have seen it. >> Older males. >> Do you regret doing it? >> Oh, no. No. It was great. I had a great time. It was fun. [music] It it it um it did great numbers for my movie.
It was like >> Oh, yeah. Max. Don’t let people discourage you from taking your clothes off. I totally [laughter] against that. >> Now, where were you yesterday? You look like a little bit >> yesterday. Yeah. I was at Disneyland. >> Do you [music] get like special treatment cuz it’s Disney, right? It’s ABC. >> Yeah.
Yeah. Well, I used to because you know Disney owned ABC, but now that we’ve moved to the WB, I’ve kind of lost my Disney connection. I don’t really get to Yeah. I’d stand in the lines now. >> Oh, [laughter] I’m not bitter. In 2003, Sabrina the Teenage Witch would come to a very controversial end after seven seasons and 163 episodes. The final season was widely criticized for focusing on Sabrina in an entirely new setting and without her two aunts, who usually anchored the show.
The main comedic element was gone. Hilda and Zelda made Sabrina what it was. Regardless, it was the end of an era, but the timing couldn’t be more perfect for Melissa. She had just gotten engaged to Mark Wilkerson and she was stepping into a whole new chapter of [music] her life. When MTV got word of not only Melissa’s upcoming wedding, but the ending of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, they had an idea to spin it into a new reality show titled Newlyweds.
[music] The offer was so tempting since MTV would cover a huge chunk of the wedding costs. But Melissa’s mom would shut it down. She had perfectly curated Melissa’s image up until this point. and letting MTV reality cameras come in and make an interesting storyline out of their real lives was not in her interest.
Thus, Melissa’s mom, Paula, shut the entire thing down. She didn’t want cameras following Melissa and Mark during their most private moments of their first year of marriage. That’s when couples normally try to figure it all out. However, that’s what [music] MTV was interested in documenting. And in her book, Melissa revealed that after they passed on the offer, MTV went to Jessica Simpson and Nicholas Shay instead, which ended up kind of proving Melissa’s mom’s point.
However, Paula Hart did like the idea of turning the wedding into a series, just on her own terms. She pitched ABC a six episode special that followed Melissa and Mark as they prepped for the big day. All ending with their grand wedding in Florence, Italy. The show Tying the Knot aired right after Sabrina the Teenage Witch wrapped, giving fans the perfect chance to see Melissa step into her new life.
Now, by this point, Melissa was 27 and had been working nonstop since she was 4 years old. She was ready to step back from the spotlight and focus on starting a family. Over the next decade, she popped up in a few guest roles and TV movies like 2007’s Holiday in Handcuffs with Mario Lopez, and it had a few more adult jokes than your usual ABC Family movie.
It actually ended up being a total smash hit. >> I’ve gone off and done a few TV movies and just projects [music] here and there, >> but her career has taken a backseat to her family. A recent move from California to Connecticut had many people wondering why the star [music] would leave Hollywood. She says her husband Mark is from the south and never felt settled on the west coast.
That’s why they [music] decided to head east. It’s definitely a great like family feel. [music] You know, Connecticut has that. I just feel like there’s so many hobbies. There’s so much to do. The kids will have great schools and we’ve already [music] made great friends out of our neighbors like and we already know who the boys are going to go to school with on the school bus.
And even [music] when she’s training with her dancing partner, Mark Ballas, Melissa keeps her kids very close. I’ll get to be a a stay-at-home mom, [music] read a book again someday at the beach while my kids play and surf. >> In 2009, Melissa was ready to come back to the world of Hollywood. She competed on season 9 of Dancing with the Stars and starred in another ABC TV movie alongside Joey Lawrence titled My Fake Fiance.
Joey Lawrence and Melissa Joan Hart had actually known each other since they were 6 years old in the New York kids commercial circuit. They had been friends for many, many years. So, when My Fake Fiance debuted to huge numbers on ABC, it led to a spin-off sitcom called Melissa and Joey. >> This August, meet Mel. >> Woohoo! >> For her, raising teenagers is hard work.
>> Don’t torch the place. >> Yes. >> So, she needed a little help. Instead, she got Joey. >> Oh, gross. [laughter] >> A new ABC Family original comedy. >> You ever work with kids? >> Are you kidding? Right out of college, I ran a youth center downtown. I was Charles freaking in charge. Are you perfect? There’s just one little detail.
I don’t really like you. [laughter] >> Together, they’re raising a new kind of family. >> How did you talk her into going down there? >> I paid her 50 bucks. >> A bribe. >> Melissa Joan Hart. >> So, is this how you ran your youth center right out of college? >> Joey Lawrence. >> Oh, please. There was no youth center.
>> The world premiere of Melissa and Joey. >> Did your hair get sick of you and leave? >> This is a choice. >> Every show you start on, you know, this business goes in such pieces. It’s like, ooh, we’re going to do a pilot. let’s do one episode and see if people like it. You do it and then you’re like, “Oh, I hope that get gets picked up.
” And then you’re like, “Oh, we got a first season. We got 12. Let’s hope we get the backside of that season, you know, and then you get the next 12 and then it’s like, all right, let’s hope we get a second, you know, and now here we are at 100. It’s like six years of hoping and praying and here we are.” >> Yeah.
And you guys just won a People’s Choice Award. We did. >> Melissa told producers if she was going to do a sitcom again, the character had to be a hot mess who didn’t have their sh together. That’s exactly what she got with Melissa and why it was her favorite character to play. Melissa and Joey ran for four seasons with a total of 104 episodes before getting cancelled in 2015.
>> Well, they’re doing Sabrina without us. >> I heard that >> they’re doing like a like a teenale. >> Yeah, they’re doing like a teen soapy version of like a drama. Yeah, like a drama soap. >> I hear it’s going to be very dark. >> Yeah. So, ours was Ours was obviously a comedy, you know, it was like a light comedy about magic.
>> Yeah. Theirs is going to be like more witchcraft. Uh, I think it’s gonna be much more like teen soapy kind of thing. >> Well, they got to bring you back because you’re the Sabrina expert. We need you on that show, right? >> Yeah. >> In 2017, it was announced that Netflix was releasing The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
This was based on the Archie comics [music] that were published in 2014. Melissa was not involved in this reboot since it was a totally different version of Sabrina altogether. [music] But that left fans of the OG Sabrina wondering if a revival with the original cast [music] could ever happen. According to Melissa, that would be almost impossible with all the red tape.
Every now and then, the cast does find a way to come together for a reunion, giving fans a little taste of the Sabrina magic once [music] again. These days, Melissa Joan Hart still pops up in the occasional TV movie for networks like Lifetime, but she really shifted her focus to producing and directing, and she seems to love being behind the camera just as much as she ever did in front of it.
While the early 2000s brought their fair share of controversies from wild nights out to almost getting fired from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Melissa managed to overcome it all and keep moving her career and life forward. Still today, for anyone who grew up in the ‘9s, she’ll always be [music] Clarissa explaining it all and Sabrina, the teenage witch, casting spells on Friday nights.
Melissa Joan Hart wasn’t just a part of our childhood TV lineup, she helped define it, leaving a massive mark as the true 1990s [music] sitcom queen, but still makes us all nostalgic to this day. Anyway, my name’s Jake and this has been Deep Dive. Thanks for watching and we’ll catch you on the next one. Bye.
Disclaimer : This content may be created by AI for entertainment purposes. Any resemblance to real persons, events, or places is coincidental.
