When Three’s Company premiered, Suzanne Somers quickly became its breakout star. As Chrissy Snow, she embodied the classic “dumb blonde” stereotype—but gave it an innocence, charm, and comic timing that made audiences fall in love. Chrissy’s squeaky laugh, quirky misunderstandings, and cheerful personality helped propel the show into one of the top-rated sitcoms of its time.
However, Somers’ career on Three’s Company took a dramatic turn in 1980. At the height of the show’s popularity, she demanded equal pay with her male counterparts, requesting a salary increase from $30,000 per episode to $150,000—comparable to stars like Carroll O’Connor and Alan Alda. Producers refused, and when she continued to push for negotiations, she was written out of most of Season 5. By the following season, her character was gone.
The fallout was intense. Somers was portrayed by the media as difficult, and her departure was seen as one of the most controversial exits in TV history. But with time, her fight for fair pay has been re-examined as groundbreaking, paving the way for future discussions about gender inequality in Hollywood.
Rather than disappear after leaving the show, Somers reinvented herself. She launched a highly successful business empire, selling fitness equipment like the ThighMaster and writing dozens of books on health, wellness, and aging. She also became a talk-show regular, turning her name into a brand synonymous with self-care and entrepreneurial resilience.
Although her departure from Three’s Company was messy, Suzanne Somers proved her star power extended far beyond the sitcom. She became a symbol of reinvention—an actress who refused to be defined by a single role or by Hollywood’s limitations. Even decades later, she is remembered not just as Chrissy Snow, but as a trailblazer who fought for her worth and built an empire on her own terms.
