‘The Beverly Hillbillies’: Behind-the-Scenes Feud Led Buddy Ebsen to Help a Co-Star’s Political Opponent

Nancy Kulp spent years playing Jane Hathaway on The Beverly Hillbillies, often working hand-in-hand with Buddy Ebsen, who took on the role of Jed Clampett. While Kulp and Ebsen spent years working together, they weren’t exactly friends. The co-stars had vastly different political beliefs, and they had no issue debating politics. Years after The Beverly Hillbillies ended, the on-set feud would spill over into Kulp’s real-life political aspirations.

Buddy Ebsen recorded an ad for Nancy Kulp’s political opponent following their ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ feud

Kulp and Ebsen didn’t have a particularly warm relationship on the set of The Beverly Hillbillies. Years after the series ended, Ebsen kept their The Beverly Hillbillies feud going by agreeing to record an ad campaign for Kulp’s political opponent. Following the end of The Beverly Hillbillies, Kulp headed back to Pennsylvania, where she set down roots and set her sights on a seat in the United States House of Representatives. Kulp was an underdog when she entered the race, and she fully understood that. What she never counted on was her on-set political nemesis getting involved.

During Kulp’s 1984 political campaign for a seat in the House of Representatives, Ebsen agreed to create an ad campaign for Kulp’s opponent, Bud Shuster. In the campaign, Ebsen accused Kulp of being “too liberal” and using her celebrity to aid her campaign. Ebsen and Kulp often debated on the set of The Beverly Hillbillies, with the conservative Ebsen insisting she was “too liberal.” Kulp lost the race.

Nancy Kulp spoke openly about feeling betrayed by Buddy Ebsen Ebsen’s betrayal bothered Nancy Kulp for several reasons. Still, she found it especially troublesome since he had to go out of his way to back her political opponent. Ebsen had absolutely no ties to Pennsylvania.

Born in Illinois and raised in Florida, Ebsen’s life had taken him from Florida to New York City and New Jersey before he landed in Hollywood. He never lived in Pennsylvania and had no connection to the state when Kulp ran for the United States House of Representatives.

Kulp spoke about the defeat and how she felt about Ebsen’s involvement multiple times. She once noted that Ebsen had “no business” getting involved and that she wished he had stayed out of it. Later, she said she didn’t blame Ebsen for her defeat but still felt his ad campaign was an unnecessary dig.

After her failed political career, Nancy Kulp began teaching

Despite insisting that she was OK with her political loss, it wounded the famed actor. She opted not to return to politics following her failed bid and even left the state of Pennsylvania shortly after the loss to clear her head and visit friends in California, according to the Associated Press.

While Kulp didn’t get to represent the state of Pennsylvania politically, she eventually returned to the area. Instead of politics, she threw her passion into teaching. She served as an artist-in-residence at a small liberal arts college in the state. She also taught acting classes before her official retirement.

Kulp and Ebsen were said to have resolved their feud later in life, decades after The Beverly Hillbillies went off the air. Still, they weren’t exactly friendly. The former co-stars rarely spoke of each other and were never spotted at any events together. Kulp died in 1991 after a battle with cancer.