Suzanne Somers on 'Three's Company' firing: 'Men were being paid 10 to 15 times more than me'

Suzanne Somers is still standing up for her Three's Company character Chrissy Snow even though the series ended nearly 37 years ago.

"I am really proud of creating that dumb blonde cause she had a moral code. She was lovable," the 74-year-old actress told Yahoo Life. She then labeled herself the "first feminist" to try and negotiate an equal salary.

"All the men were being paid 10 to 15 times more than me," Somers continued. "So my contract was up, I renegotiated, and I was fired for asking, essentially."

Writer Kaitlin Reilly provided more context:

Recalling the "humiliating" process of being fired midway through the fifth season, Somers says that in order to collect her paycheck while negotiations were ongoing, she had to appear occasionally on the series. Ultimately, she would make seven cameos across her final season on the show, but despite her limited presence, the sitcom continued to use her name to promote the program.

Three's Company centered around Chrissy, Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and Jack Tripper (John Ritter) as three friends living together in an apartment building owned first by Stanley Roper (Norman Fell) and Helen Roper (Audra Lindley) and then later by Ralph Furley (Don Knotts). The sitcom premiered in March 1977 and wrapped after an eight-season run in September 1984. 

Somers' run as Chrissy ended during the fifth season from 1980-81. She was written off the show by being away on a trip in Fresno, and her cousin, Cindy (Jenilee Harrison) essentially took her screen time.

Somers has addressed her firing before. In March 2020, she shared with People that she asked for a raise from her $30,000 per episode payment to match Ritter's $150,000 per episode rate.

"The show's response was, 'Who do you think you are?'" Somers told the outlet. "They said, 'John Ritter is the star.'"

Somers went on to star in other televisions series such as She's the Sheriff (1987-89) and Step by Step (1991-98). She has written several books, including 2017 memoir Two's Company: A Fifty-Year Romance with Lessons Learned in Love, Life & Business.