Holly Marie Combs is among the most iconic actresses of late-90s/ early 00s television. This is thanks to her several-season run on “Charmed.” Recently, the 52-year-old opened up about her career, revealing that she lost out on multiple roles in Hollywood due to pregnancy, with one instance being lawsuit-worthy.
Combs opened up about her career and how getting pregnant led to her losing out on multiple roles during a recent episode of her “House of Halliwell” podcast. However, she began by discussing how much of her young life was devoted to appearing on screen.
According to her, “I think I started acting when I was 10, and I sort of gave myself this strange timeline where I knew I had dedicated everything up until I was 29, 30, to my career. Literally everything. All of my energies, most of them/”
Combs added, “There wasn’t some guy ruining my life.” After that, the actress opened up about her approach to family planning, revealing that she had saved this goal for later.
She stated, “I sort of gave myself this window of 30 to 35 to have children… and I was able to have three children within this window. So, I was quite busy. But thankfully, I was 29, turning 30, and I was on ‘Charmed,’ and they couldn’t get rid of me at that point.”
For context, Combs and her ex-husband, David Donoho, had three sons between 2004 and 2009, with the youngest being 17. “Charmed” ended on The WB in 2006.
The ‘Charmed’ Alum Says She’s Been Turned Down For Shows Due To Pregnancy
4Combs continued discussing her career as an actress, revealing that there were times when she was up for roles but was passed over because she was pregnant. She said bluntly, “I have had shows say no to me because I was pregnant,” before vowing not to name which series she’d been in consideration for.
However, she went on to highlight one instance where “there could’ve been a lawsuit because they chose a pilot that didn’t have a pregnant lead, basically.”
The “Charmed” alum explained, “It was between the two. And I came up with a very complicated pregnancy; it was actually with [my son] Kelley, and they were like, ‘Yeah, no, we’re going to go with this one.’ And I was like, ‘Seriously?’”
In closing out this discussion from her perspective, Combs shared that she felt supported during her pregnancy and while appearing on “Charmed.” She said, “The flip side of that was ‘Charmed.’ They welcomed it because they had to, essentially.”
The TV star continued, “But I worked until I was, basically, 10 months pregnant, and I came back when Finley was barely 3 months old. And he was basically raised on the set for two years.”
Holly Marie Combs Has Relocated To Washington State
4Nowadays, Combs considers Washington State home after she and her husband, Mike Ryan, relocated from Bell Canyon, California, to Friday Harbor in 2021. Currently, she considers herself to be semi-retired from acting, as she owns and operates a barbecue restaurant, Cattle Point BBQ.
The former “Charmed” star discussed her retirement from acting in an August 2026 episode of her “House of Halliwell” podcast, revealing that her family life played a part in her decision. However, she does still miss the craft from time to time.
She stated, “I miss it occasionally because, like you said, there’s those moments when you’re involved, and you’re acting and you’re working that are just, I think it’s like being present.” Additionally, she stated that she’s not against making a return to the screen once her kids are older.
Holly Marie Combs Discussed Motherhood Several Years Ago
4Several years before stepping away from acting, Combs opened up about balancing motherhood and acting in an interview with PEOPLE. She said at the time, “You never feel like you’re 100 percent at either one. I don’t ever feel like I’m the best actress I can be or the best mother I can be.”
Combs continued, “My husband is very supportive, he wants me to work, but understands I also want to be with the kids.”
Regarding potentially leaving acting, she stated, “I would consider leaving acting for motherhood; I mean, we all want to be financially secure and want our children to be secure forever. But life passes you by, and it’s really hard, at ages 1 and 4, to pick them up and bring them on location with me.”
The Actress Is Keeping Shannen Doherty’s Legacy Alive
Combs’ fellow “Charmed” star, Shannen Doherty, passed away in July 2024 following a battle with metastatic breast cancer. Since her passing, Combs has made multiple tributes to her late costar and friend, both on her podcast and on social media.
One of the most recent tributes came in July 2025 when she took to Instagram to remember the anniversary of Doherty’s passing. She wrote, “It’s been a year, but it’s been a minute for me. You still light the way for so many. And you are missed by so many. Thank you to everyone who did a #shandosunday post or prayer or just a passing thought. She would be so pleased. 1018”
