Did Alyson Hannigan Stop Acting Because Everyone Found Out She Was A Hateful Catty Bitch?

I think she stopped because she's loaded beyond belief thanks to HIMYM. She's been extraordinarily blessed in life, not having to work beyond those two jackpots. Honestly, if I could choose any actor's career for myself, I'd choose hers. Minimum work, and all the money.

It was the herpes?

I have never ever liked how she looks or acts on screen

It makes me giggle just a little that NPH was paid almost double what everyone else was - $400K vs. $225K - for the final season.

That's nowhere near The Big Bang Theory cast or Friends.

While obviously a lot of money, it went nine seasons, and they probably renegotiated after the first season and around season 4 or 5. Seasons 4-9 were 24 episodes each while 1-3 were 22, 22, and 20.

The Friends are making $20mm each year in residuals - 2% backend. The Parsons, Galecki, and Cuoco are making 1% or about $10mm.

I doubt that HIMYM cast is making nearly that amount in residuals. Then again, even if they're making a comparatively paltry $2mm a year, that's still plenty.

As has been mentioned, she has money from the two long-running TV projects.

So she doesn't HAVE TO work.

And she is a limited actress, who didn't have much range beyond "quirky" younger women roles (and she aged out of those).

So even if she didn't have the toxic Joss Whedon connection, she would have to be fighting industry pre-conceptions of what she can or cannot do as a performer.

That said, I do think the Whedon thing hurts in stunt-casting for a mom role in a genre TV show (ala Ringwald in "Riverdale" or Ryder in "Stranger Things"). Producers just wouldn't think her presence would be worthwhile from a commercial or creative perspective.

This post prompted me to remember "The Nevers".

What a bizarre production history.

Whedon was cancelled in 2020 but the first half was still in the can.

So HBO premiered the show in 2021 and decided to continue with production with another showrunner.

Then, on 2022, Zazlav takes over WB and sells the show to Tubi, where is live-premiered the second half in 2023 during the middle of a week and didn't stream it again.

And that's not even taking into account the strangeness of the show itself which is steampunk X-Men ... until it becomes a Terminator-style time travel show.

I really liked the first half of The Nevers and am curious to see how they ended it.

Amber Benson it's been said turned down a shit ton of money for a couple of guest spots as well as a rumored reoccurring role as Willow's manifestation of The First Evil because she refused to work with Hannigan again.

Hannigan also hosted that Penn & Teller magic show for some reason. The show has been on for years and is still going although she’s not on it anymore. Seemed like a weird post-HIMYM career choice for her but I suppose it was easy money. Maybe Neil Patrick got her the gig

Alyson does seem to engender intense dislike in everyone who works with her eventually, kind of like Whedon's two other bony muses. the actress who played Fred/Aleria, and the one who played the super sister in Firefly.

Misogyny issues much, OP? NPH was an even cattier bitch, but you'd never know it from how he's lionized among DL queens. (And SMG's bitchiness is infamous.)

She also didn't "stop acting"; she still does work when she wants, which is a privilege 99.9% of Hollywood actors never get. I'm always surprised how few people realize how rare it is to have not one but TWO long-running, and *very* lucrative, TV gigs. The silly girl first known for that time, at band camp, when she stuck a flute up her pussy ended up FAR more successful than ANYONE in either the "American Pie" movies or on "Buffy"! (Natasha Lyonne & Jennifer Coolidge are now on a second wind and may outshine her, but considering "American Pie" was the millennial version of "Porky's," it's interesting that its three biggest stars are all *women*, and ones who played fairly minor roles – including Alyson in the first one, later becoming the lead for "American Reunion.")

OP, it's okay to be a jealous bitch, but you should prolly work on your MOMMY ISSUES given your rage against women.

R12 Success doesn't cure cunt, and Alyson is just an example of that fact...like your mother obviously was as well.

Come now, R12. Her cuntdom is legendary.This thread already made your point that she’s loaded and has the luxury of choosing her projects.

She was just on dancing with the stars. Got in great shape.

I’m ok with her being an asshole.

She is going to age into a gnomish Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Same with NPH; grown up child actors go elf on the shelf when they hit 40.

Why are we acting like her no longer acting was her choice?

She's over 40 and not that talented.

Honestly, the dip in her acting career is probably 99% due to her age/limited range, >1% due to any cuntiness or Whedon stuff. Her track record suggests she’s a competent professional; that’s enough to carry male actors into middle age and beyond, but not so much for females who aspire to any sort of leading roles.

Holy shit, she's 50!

Amy Acker (Fred from Angel) is supposed to be an uber-bitch.

Summer Glau (from Firefly) doesn't seem to have nearly as many negative comments about her.

As much as I liked some of Whedon's stuff, the stories about him suggest he's an awful person.

[quote] Amber Benson it's been said turned down a shit ton of money for a couple of guest spots as well as a rumored reoccurring role as Willow's manifestation of The First Evil because she refused to work with Hannigan again.

No, it was because she hated Whedon and had no desire to help him out by coming back. Plus, she had a devoted fan base and she didn’t like the idea of playing an evil version of her character. Whedon was cruel about telling her that he was killing off her character as well.

Yeah, the Benson thing has nothing to do with Hannigan. She did her EW Anniversary interview alone with Hannigan.

Either way sounds like Amber took the hit.

I heard she randomly poured water on SMG - but it was actually Amber Benson?

She did a couple of episodes of 'That '70s Show' playing a psycho police trainee, IIRC. I have no idea what it was like behind the scenes and I don't really care. If performers weren't already screwed up, they would choose a different occupation.

r12 We don't type "prolly," we type out the adult word "probably."

No wonder she played a dyke so well. She’s an unfunny bitch.

She was good on HIMYM.

She also married Alexis Denisof and had some kids. She may like being a mom

Amy Acker seems to get a shedload of work for someone who is 'supposed to be an uber-bitch'. Or R20 is just writing fanfic.

r10 The Penn & Teller gig was odd. It was obvious they filmed a lot of episodes in one day, as she wore the same outfit across multiple episodes. Must've been very easy money.

Not sure how many people realize that, with production having moved out of LA to the degree it has, jobs can be pretty disruptive to actors’ lives.

I know a couple of busy working actors and they will spend like ten weeks in Vancouver and then five months in Atlanta and then a month in Ireland, etc.

Both have spouses able to pick up a travel with them, and their kids are grown.

If you have kids, a spouse with a career or you’re a homebody who wants to see their friends, it’s rough.

Amy Acker is really good at acting. R30