Donna Mills breaks her silence on why she left KL in 1989: It was the writers' fault!

I wasn’t aware she ever really did anything again, after leaving the show.

She must have invested her money wisely.

She did a lot of television and 'Hallmark' movies when she left, as well as daytime soaps and live theater. A few years ago, she did a 'reality TV show' for Logo, which also starred her 'close friend' Joan Collins.

One project she starred in, directed and co-produced was a ridiculous TV movie called "The World's Oldest Living Bridesmaid" which was originally given to Streisand to star, direct and co-produce (as a theatrical movie). Streisand was wise enough to pass on it but Mills decided to make it a TV-movie. It was void of all charm and comedy.

I saw her in the early 1990s in a poignant production of Long Days Journey into Night at a theater near Rancho Mirage. Her Mary was a triumph!

She’s right about Knots. The show was really slipping at about this time.

She was a good sport, though, attending all the reunion projects and never turning her nose up at the biggest role of her career.

What does Michele Lee say about this??!!

They had been softening Abby up by the beginning of her final season and it wasn’t fun. Then they tried to make her heinous again but I thought hiding drugs in Harold’s locker was a bit low for Abby; she thought bigger. But profiting from the closing of Lotus Point WAS Abby so that lined up.

Damn. I was almost as sick of hearing "Lotus Point" as I was of hearing "my babies!"

I looked her bio up - apparently she went to Taft high school in Chicago, which was the basis for the play and movie Grease.

The writer of Grease, Jim Jacobs, apparently crafted the character Sandy (ONJ) about Donna Mills.

Not sure if that's 100% accurate - but really interesting.

The Grease story has been disproven. We had a whole thread on it at one point, I believe.

I thought she left the series because there was a shortage on white undereye concealer in the late 1980s (supply chain, thanks a lot, Dukakis!) and she couldn't appear on camera without it.

By the time Mills left in May, 1989, they were already working on thinning out the older / original cast members (I know she joined in season 2) to bring in younger blood to attract the younger viewers. Sid, Laura, Cigi, Kenny and Ginger, and (I believe) Richard had all bid farewell by that point. I have a feeling they didn't really care if Mills stayed or left at that point. And her leaving opened the door to fill the void by bringing back a young, pretty blond (Lar Park Lincoln) the following season.

I never saw Abby as an out and out villain like JR. She had her flaws but she was pretty human. It was fun to watch JR get put in his place but it was fun to see Abby triumph most of the time -just not against Val.

But the Abby/Val thing was not the real feud on the show. The real, long-lasting feud that never grew old was Abby and Karen. And it took what, eight or nine years until Karen FINALLY slapped her.

[quote] And it took what, eight or nine years until Karen FINALLY slapped her.

And it was GLORIOUS! 😂

#r5 “Gray Skies are Gonna Clear UP!!! Put on a Happy Face!!!”

Laura walloped Abby in the season two episode where the women were held hostage — that was the slap of all slaps.

And then Val slapped her while confronting Abby in Season 3.

And then Ginger slapped herself because she felt left out.

I really wanted to slap Gary's ass.

I was always awestruck by her perennially Pavlova-colored hair and face.

She has said this many times in the past.

#r19 What a WONDERFUL description!!!

Damn, I can't find it, but somewhere on YouTube there's a blooper reel of everyone on Knots in line to slap Abby. It was pretty funny.

R22, the three have mentioned that clip several times in their podcast. I’d love to see it.

Karen slaps Abby

Val slaps Abby

Laura slaps Abby

WHO?!

One thing which struck me on the series, and was a good dose of reality, was Abby's relationship with Lilimae (Val's mother, played to perfection by Julie Harris). Abby had so much respect for Lilimae, and Lilimae became the surrogate grandmother to her kids, and a mother figure to Abby. The two of them played so well in scenes together - with and without the kids. (And 'Abby' broke up the marriage between Lilimae's daughter and son-in-law).

I recall when Harris died years ago, Mills offered her condolences and memories of her friend. She said Harris taught her so much on the series - helping her play difficult scenes when the storyline was about her daughter Olivia addicted to drugs. She advised and guided her along, and Mills credited her with helping her grow as an actress.

[quote]She has said this many times in the past.

As a fan of Mills, I've read many interviews and watched many interviws over the years since she left the show in 1989. I watched all the 'reunion' interviews. Not once have I ever heard her say she left because the writing went to Hell, and the new writers had no idea how to write for her character.

She has always maintained she didn't want to be boxed in as a night-time soap opera villain, and wanted to branch out creatively as an actress, producer, director. Ten years of playing 'Abby' was enough - she wanted to move on. I actually believed her.

When the rose colored glasses bitch needed a kidney for her daughter who did she come running to?

It was your niece ! It was your own brother's daughter, you bottle blond bitch !

Val slapping Abby is one of the most iconic scenes from Knots Landing but for me personally, Karen slapping Abby was my favorite because it was so long overdue.

It was Eric slapping (the living shit out of) Diana that had audiences cheering.

They were a slap-happy family. I remember when Karen called her high school friend Anne Romano in one episode, and told her to slap the shit out of her boyfriend's son Alex. "Just slap the shit out of that asshole!" and Ms. Romano finally did.

There was that episode when her old frind Krystle Jennings - now Carrington - called her from Denver to say her new husband's first wife, named Alexis, had moved into the 'art studio' he deeded to her on their property. She was making life a holy hell for the two of them and the household servants.

Karen said, "Slap her !"

Krystle opened her eyes, and whispered, "What ?"

Karen responded, "Slap her across the face. Push her. Hit her with a throw pillow. Just don't let it go too far."

The next night Krystle called her back, "Thanks, friend. I did just like you suggested. Only, I went a little too far."

A few years later, Karen got a call from another old friend - Dominique Devereaux who had just relocated to Denver. She said the owner of a newspaper, named Alexis, wrote an awful article on her. What should she do ?

Karen said, "Alexis again ? My friend Krystle had trouble with her. I suggest you slap her. Slap her silly. Get into a cat fight with her !" The rest is history.

Slap her Willona.

This just showed up on my YouTube feed.

Constance McCashin stays awesome!

Thanks so much for posting, R37!

I always enjoy Abby’s back and forth with her cute hunky lawyer Jim Westmont. It always imply a that they aren’t sleeping together but could at the drop of a hat. They had fun chemestry. He also seemed open to sleep with Laura but then she started sleeping with Greg.

God, Diana was so butch...

It would seem that Laura was meek at first but they eventually just made her personality closer to the real Constance McCashin.

I'd love for Connie McCashin to be my shrink.

All the slapping on Knots! Did anyone ever slap the sanctimonious Karen?

Good old Connie didn't waste a chance to let Kim know how close and in touch she was with various cast members over the years.

Poor Kim had one dream about a dying Kevin Dobson.

R44, and Connie had to keep her eyes from rolling during Kim's story.

Karen needed to be slapped on the season she head the dykey haircut.

For anyone here who hasn't seen this. Make sure you watch until the very end.

Thanks R37! Both actresses are as beautiful as ever, and as elegant and charming as ever. A real delight to sit and listen to them reminisce.

McCashin said actress Julie Harris had died 11 years prior to this interview, and her birthday was two weeks ago. So Harris passed in 2013, and her birthday was December 2 - which means this interview took place in mid-December of last year; not long ago at all.

They kept talking about actor James Houghton who played the husband of Lankford's character. As a matter of fact, at one point (in the third part) she talks about how she thought it was rather disrespectful of him to tell the producers he wanted off the show (which in turn affected her position on the showback then) and he never told her, even though they were costars. She still sounded a bit bitter on how it all played out.

I thought it was a bit odd at first, especially since he died last August, and they never even mentioned his death in this interview (which was just four months prior). Then I realized that though he died in August, 2024 and this took place in December, 2024 these two women had no idea. His death was not made public until two months ago (February, 2025). so in December these two must've thought he was still alive at the time.

McCashin made a comment that in 1987, they got rid of four cast members - herself, Lankford, Houghton and Harris (only Houghton asked to be let go). She said they did it to save money - their four smaller salaries equaled 'one big salary for someone they could keep on the show' . I'm guessing either Michele Lee, Donna Mills or William DeVane ?

R49. My guess is Donna Mills'. And being that she wasn't an original, that could still be a bitter pill for Connie. So, James didn't visit Kim the day he died like Kevin Dobson did?

Ginger and Kenny left earlier. I’ll bet that the four people are Constance McCashin, Julie Harris, Doug Sheehan and Lisa Hartman. I’ll bet the big money was for Michael York aka Charles. Although that was a clunky storyline I’ll bet they hoped that Abby and Charles would be the next big power couple. …. After a bunch of rewatches it seems before Lisa Hartman’s costumes are cold Nicolette Sheridan shows up.

Lisa left the season before. Constance and Doug were the 2 biggies; Julie left later in the season. The fourth might have been Hunt Block, which I believe was the 8th (?) season cliffhanger?

That sort of started what appeared to be CBS's campaign to kill Knots. The two last great storylines were those two seasons: Laura's sendoff, and Crazy Jill/Poor Val at the end of that season.

My favorite part of the 2-part Noises Everywhere was when Jill stole Greg Sumner's urn which contained her brother's ashes, stuck it in her very large purse, then "accidentally" hit Paige with it.

Doug was a waste of money. They didn't know what to do with him. His time spent on Knots was a waste for other things he might have been doing in his career. I remember being really excited when I heard he was going to Knots. I fell in love with him on GH. Fell out of love with him during Knots. He was so incredibly handsome though. As big of a fan I was of him I can't remember one thing notable he did on Knots except hook up with Val.

R52 I can't really disagree with you, in the sense that Ben was one of those buffer characters; the ones that get in the way of what we know is the inevitability: in this case, Gary and Val back together. So yeah, that character sort of served it's time.

But despite being forced to write him off, I thought they did a pretty good job of it. And Sheehan got to shine showing how Ben was emotionally breaking down when he realized the lives of his family were in danger. He was able to believably make Ben villainous.

And we never found out what happened to Ben Gibson. For me, it was the most tragic character arc.

Even more so than Laura; At least Laura knew her destiny and was able to control her final actions.

[quote]R11 Her leaving opened the door to fill the void by bringing back a young, pretty blond (Lar Park Lincoln)

That name sounds like someone having a stroke.

They did mention Sheehan's name, too, at one point. I think it was McCashin who mentioned he was fired along with her and Harris. Again, Sheehan died six months before the interview, and they didn't mention that at all. The only two they made reference to who were dead was Dobson and Harris.

I had forgotten that KL was such a violent show!

So fun to see these scenes.

They totally wasted what could have been a ratings grabber with Doug. He was extremely popular and recognizable in the soap world. He should have been an outright villain from the start For always wanting to bring in long lost relatives Knots missed the boat here. They should have had him as Greg's evil brother or something. Either in direct competition or as sort of an enforcer. A rival for Paige. Maybe even the chubby redhead. The possibilities were there the writers were just lazy. So many characters had to go through the Val and Gary garbage disposal. Letting Jill go was their biggest mistake. Her character lit up the screen when she came on.

Doug Sheehan was on KL what Joh Beck was on Dallas - a reason to keep two love birds apart. They were the hired distraction. What bothers me in both cases is that the distraction could have been a bit more interesting. Mark Graison had an oil company just like the Ewing and the Barnes. But they didn't let him do any oil business to integrate him even better with the entire cast. Same with Ben. Whatever he did served only Val. Otherwise he was a pure plot device.

To me it felt like Sheehan was let go twice from KL. First he eloped with Cathy for that tour. He was effectively written off the show. And then he came back, did this weird assassination story line and then got canned again. Maybe the first time it was negotiation tactics for the contract renewal.

I liked the character of Ben and even though we knew that Val and Gary were the endgame, I would have been just fine with Val and the nice version of Ben staying together.

Laura’s final scene was so sad and Constance knocked that scene out of the park.

OMG! Remember Laura’s post memorial episode at her and Greg’s house being a mostly non-scripted improvisation episode. Some actors were better at it than others.

[quote]Laura’s final scene was so sad and Constance knocked that scene out of the park.

I could never understand why she was not nominated for an Emmy for this episode.

R62 Because the emmy voters are snobs and often looked down on soap actors. They filled the categories mostly with LA Law actors.

R63. I go fix printer now!

When Mills says "writers" is she talking about the husband-wife team of Lynn Latham & Bernie Lechowick? Because they were pretty much hated by most viewers of The Young & the Restless when Latham was installed as EP/HW and husband Lechowick became her Story Consultant. Sony Pictures took the opportunity to can them door during the 2007-08 writers' strike. The one thing i remember about their year there is that they took the "Lotus Point" story from KL and basically retold it on Y&R as a development called "Clear Springs."

Can I address the (sequined) elehant in the room?

Is Ms. Mills a dyke, or not?

R66. I've heard yes! Very well known in the Weho Eldergay circle.

Oh my r67! This huge Knots fan had no idea. 🫖

that butch haircut and no-makeup-look in PLAY MISTY FOR ME should have been our first clue.

Mills and her life partner (of 25 years) Larry Gilman share a home in Mandeville Canyon above Sunset Blvd. They even have a little vineyard there. Local Spectrum News here in L.A. did a feature on them a couple years ago.

[quote]r70 Mills and her life partner (of 25 years) Larry Gilman share a home in Mandeville Canyon

So he's a big fag?

R69 That 'butch haircut" was the big rage that year - 1971 - it was the Jane Fonda "Klute" cut.

You know, something I've always admired about Clint Eastwood is that he's never dolled up his leading ladies as traditional bombshells. He seems to be attracted to a natural look.

When Jessica Walter arrived on the set of PLAY MISTY FOR ME, Mills told her in confidence that she would have to sneak her makeu on in the bathroom... that their star and director didn't like it.

That would truly strike terror in the heart of any actress.

Jessica Walter and Donna Mills never quite became A-list stars, but you can't dispute they were both A-list talents. Each with a tremendous body of work demonstrating complete versatility, playing every type of character imaginable.

Throughout the 80s and 90s, she was involved with Chaka Khan's ex-husband, Richard Holland, and he was a music producer. He had a little boy with Chaka (they were married 1976-80), and Donna has always spoken lovingly about how this little boy would come over to their house every weekend, and whenever his mother went on tour (more or less, she was saying she helped raise him through his childhood and teen years). Donna has also spoken very highly of Chaka (and Chaka has done the same), and a few years ago Chaka mentioned the two of them still remain close friends to this day (Mills is 13 years older than Chaka).

Some interesting facts, though:

1. Holland was very religious, and didn't like the 'sexy image' Chaka was asked to portray when she was the lead singer of 'Rufus'. She enjoyed the attention of being a 'sex symbol' and wouldn't give it up - it was giving her a successful career. The difference in which way her career was going is what led to their break-up, and eventual divorce. Then he meets Mills (through mutual friends) and she launches her KL career as a sex symbol. Maybe he learned to shut up ?

2. The son Holland and Chaka has is Damien Holland, born in 1979. He was accused of murdering a 17 year old boy in 2004, when the two of them were at Chaka's house with other friends, and the two got into a fight. A gun went off and the 17 year old was killed. In 2006, he was acquitted by a jury, but the judge ordered him and Chaka Khan to pay more than $1.3 million to the family of the murdered teen.

So, which is it?

Some are saying she’s West Hollywood Royalty, a lezzie lou who’s cleaned out half the muffs on each coast.

Then we have r70 and r75 saying she’s a serial monogamist, devoted to just one dick at a time.

[italic]Show your face, demon!

I believe she said during her interview with James Lipton for her segment of Inside the Actor's Studio, "I like the pole...and the hole."

Slightly off-topic but following R75, my favorite Chaka Kahn story is when somebody was visiting Joni Mitchell at her home, and Chaka just appeared from another room, took a sip of the guest’s wine, and walked back out of the room.

She’d have been fun on Seaview Circle.

Donna has casually mentioned Larry on the new train wreck of a podcast.

R79. She has a PODCAST?!

R80, yes it;'s titled "Forever Spring" and she's been in litigation with Connie Stevens for months over it!

This is the newest episode.

Why do they have a witch's mask in between Michele Lee and Donna Mills ?

Next to Michele's floating head.

[quote] Episode 4 The ladies delve into questions from fans, the costumes on Knots, plastic surgery and how the world needs a Donna Mills makeup tutorial.

Plastic surgery. What does Valene have to say about THAT subject?

Poor Val.

[quote] how the world needs a Donna Mills makeup tutorial.

What make-up? It's all natural.

R83 That photo is one step away from being a cartoonized pic.

I'm seriously thinking about getting plastic surgery, but I admit I'm very scared and that fear has always kept me away from any plastic surgery!

[quote] R79 Donna has casually mentioned Larry on the new train wreck of a podcast.

Larry King?

[italic]“You’re on the line, Cincinnati! Tell us, were you disappointed to hear Donna would not be following her siblings, The Mills Brothers, into music?”

Donna's dad, General Mills, always put on a great spread.

Does Mills ever discuss her brothers and why they were trying to hold that tiger?

Was it ever disclosed how Kevin Dobson died in September, 2000 ? They said it wasn't COVID, but nothing was ever confirmed of what was the cause of death.

R93. 2020? Ask Kim Lankford. He showed up in her closet after he died.

R94 Yes,2020. Sorry.

Donna's half-sister Heather had her dance career cut short by that horrific high kick fatality in Branson.

any recent pics of her? can't believe she's so old!

I think this pic is from two or three years ago.

R98. Nah that's from when she won an Emmy guesting on General Hospital nearly 10 years ago.

These are pics are said to be from 2025.

You can also see recent video of Mills from last year's 2024 Project Angel Food "Lead with Love" telethon. Michele Lee and Valene are with her.

Their segment starts around the 1:22.00 mark.

Has Donna ever congratulated her great-nephew, Joey Mills? He won Hottest Bottom at the Grabby Awards a few years ago.

And is she still feuding with her cousin (some say former lover) Hayley “Pollyanna” Mills?

Didn't Act Blue Donna cut all ties with her other cousin, Alley Mills, when she found out what a right-winger she is?

"Act Blue" Donna made cousins Hayley and Juliet see RED when she tried to "Abby" the latter's hubby, Maxwell Caulfield.

Half sister Stephanie has always been bitter that Donna didn’t step forward and publicly acknowledge her as family in Hollywood.

It could have gone a long way toward securing the plucky newcomer a few of those all-important television gigs.

Donna Jean Miller isn't even a Real Mills.

One would think she'd want to acknowledge her relationship to Nolan Miller.

I remember reading once (in her KL days) that she was brought up in an Orthodox Jewish family from Chicago. Then, more recently, I read she was brought up in a Catholic family. I wonder which is true.

Bitch has been through the mill.

R108 When her father Ambrose Miller died in 1997, his obituary stated that he was a member of St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church in Palm Harbor, Florida..

Thanks R110. Ambrose, by the way, was her 91 year old mother (not father). Mills comes from good genes - she'll probably make it to her 90s.

R111 Ambrose was her father. Her mother's name was Bernice.

In the Intimate Portrait produced on Donna, there's a photo of her dressed in her First Holy Communion outfit holding a rosary, so that confirms the Catholicism further. That's seen at about the 4:08 mark in video below.

She also talks about how bigoted her parents were, with both she and her older brother wondering how they escaped having those beliefs embedded in them.

Check out this article. Donna and Michelle discuss the plastic surgeries they've had.

Notice, Joan Van Ark was absent that day!!

R113 No, Valene was there. Maybe "People" is just trying to avoid the Elephant in the Room.

The discussion on that topic was in Episode 4. I think it was the first question they discussed. At first the trio kind of turned the subject into a joke. I'm guessing that may have been for JVA's benefit. But the talk pretty much centered around their one suggestion: to have work done early, so that it's not major and can just be something subtle. They all agreed on that. The conversation drifted back and forth between that and makeup. Donna applied her own makeup on KL. They also talked about the effects of sun. At some point, Donna said she'd had one subtle face lift in her 40s when she was on KL, saying it's lasted and she's had nothing done since. I don't remember JVA talking about any specific surgery, though. The trio also talked about wardrobe on Knots.

btw - Eventually, they begin a discussion about aging in general, and that led one of them to ask Donna to talk about a friend of hers that she'd previously mentioned who appeared to have everything, but was actually very melancholy and quite lonely when he died. That friend turns out to be (gay) John Conboy.

R112 Strange. The 1997 obituary for Ambrose Miller refers to the deceased as a female on more than one occasion, including: 'she is survived by her husband Gilbert'; a daughter Donna Mills of Beverly Hills, CA...'

Tampa Tribune vs. Tampa Bay Times. The Times got it right.

No wonder Donna is sexually fluid. Her parent Ambrose was a he/she!

R113, R114,

JVA doesn’t saying anything specific about her surgeries, but she does add a few little self-deprecating asides that let listeners know she’s aware and in on the joke.