Sarah Michelle Gellar and the late Shannen Doherty became friends in the 1990s while appearing on WB shows. For the former, the show was “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” whereas Doherty was appearing on “Charmed,” where she remained for its first three seasons. Now, almost two years after her death, Gellar is reflecting on their friendship and revealing the one thing they didn’t get to do.
Sarah Michelle Gellar Opens Up About Friendship With Shannen Doherty
Doherty passed away at the age of 54 in July 2024 after a battle with breast cancer. Now, while discussing their friendship with PEOPLE, Gellar says she and her dear pal “enjoyed the f-ck out of each other,” calling that “the best description I’ve ever heard” of their friendship.
She went on, “We did. I made sure that I would never have any regrets with Shannen, and I think we did a really good job of it. I don’t think we have any [regrets].” However, there was one thing they wanted to do with one another before Doherty passed away that they didn’t do: take a trip to Italy.
However, Gellar says that Doherty “got to go, which is all that matters. I couldn’t go at the time.”
The ‘Buffy’ Alum Says Death Is Universal
Gellar continued discussing the loss of Doherty, this time framing it as a universal experience. According to her, “Look, everybody loses people in life, and a lot of times it’s not fair.”
She continued, “Yes, mine’s maybe been on a bigger scale because you’ve all borne witness to it. And you learn those things — you learn that time is fleeting, you learn to take advantage of the time you have. Especially because the world moves so quickly now. We can stop and miss those moments.”
Fans Say Gellar Has Suffered Great Personal Losses
Nicholas Brendon, who appeared alongside Gellar in “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” passed away on March 20. Following his passing, many fans are taking to social media to rally around Gellar as not only has she now lost Nicholas, but also Doherty and Michelle Trachtenberg, who passed away in February 2025. Of course, she was also close with Robin Williams, who passed away in 2014.
One fan said on X, “Bless Sarah Michelle Gellar wherever she is. First Robin. And now Shannen, Michelle, and Nick in such a short time. I can’t imagine.” Someone else wrote, “Sarah Michelle Gellar was close to Robin Williams, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Shannen Doherty. She lost 3 loved ones in 12 years.”
A different X user wrote, “Sarah Michelle Gellar losing Michelle Trachtenberg, Shannen Doherty, and now him in such a short space of time, like what the f-ck.”
Sarah Michelle Gellar Recently Paid Tribute To Nicholas Brendon
Currently, Gellar is promoting her new movie, “Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come.” According to Entertainment Weekly, while at the film’s premiere, she spoke to the audience about Brendon’s death. She began, “It’s a tragedy. It’s a tragedy when you lose anyone at any point. It’s a bigger tragedy when you lose someone way sooner than needs to be.”
She continued, “This business is very tough, and we’ve had — it feels like we’ve had more tragedy than other shows.” After that, she acknowledged that “Buffy” probably hadn’t had more tragedies than other shows, saying it seems like it “because it’s personal, and it’s in our faces.”
In speaking specifically about the actor, Gellar said, “I think as actors we talk a lot or think a lot about legacy. He brought so much joy to so many people on that show, and that lives on. That’s the truth.”
The ‘Buffy’ Alum Recently Opened Up About The Failed Revival
Gellar revealed in March 2026 that Hulu had scrapped the highly anticipated “Buffy” revival series. At the time, she didn’t give details on why, but later gave an exclusive to PEOPLE, saying that one executive had sealed the show’s fate.
She first discussed receiving the call that Hulu had decided not to move forward with the show. According to her, “I was just about to take the stage in front of all the fans. Hulu had decided not to move forward with the Buffy revival. Let me tell you, nobody saw this coming.”
Regarding why the show didn’t continue, Gellar explained, “We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn’t for him.”
She added, “That’s very hard when you’re taking a property that is as beloved as ‘Buffy,’ not just to the world, but to me and Chloé. So that tells you the uphill battle that we had been fighting since day one, when your executive is literally proud to tell you that he didn’t watch it.”
