‘Bewitched’ Star Erin Murphy Reveals What Happened Between Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York After He Left the Show
Bewitched had a magical forged when it made its debut in 1964. Starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, Agnes Moorehead, and David Whitethe ABC fantasy sitcom adopted newlywed couple Darrin and Samantha Stephens (York, Montgomery) as they navigated Samantha’s secret life as a suburban witch. By season two, mini witch Tabitha Stephens was born. The position was performed by twins Erin and Diane Murphy beginning in 1966.
Bewitched aired for eight seasons, till 1972, however York solely appeared in 5 of them. In 1969, the actor give up the present amid ongoing critical medical points, and Dick Sargent took his place, with no clarification about the character’s modified look.
During an look on Billy Corgan’sThe Magnificent Others podcast, Erin Murphynow 61, revealed Montgomery’s relationship with York ended the day he stepped off the Bewitched set. “She never talked to Dick York after he left the set,” Murphy shared. “There are some lovely stories out there on social media about how she showed up when he was dying, and that no, he left the show and she never spoke to him again.”
York, who suffered from a debilitating back injury that spawned an addiction to painkillers, once said he felt embarrassed that he left Bewitched early. “That was the worst day of my life because I thought I’d failed everybody,” he recalled in an interview before his death in 1992, per People magazine. “It was the only thing I’d started that I didn’t finish. I didn’t finish that show, so I felt guilty, and I felt embarrassed, and I felt that I let everybody down.”
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Erin Murphy couldn’t understand how Montgomery stepped away from her longtime co-stars
In the sit-down with Corgan, Murphy explained that while she adored Montgomery and looked to her as a role model, the actress was all business and disconnected from the rest of the cast when the series ended. “She did a job and left the job, and that was it,” Murphy said.
“I saw her side where she wasn’t necessarily as soft and kind as Samantha,” she added. “She was a businesswoman, and she was critical and undoubtedly had that facet. …I’m not saying issues which can be disparaging. … That half did not hit me possibly till later. It’s like the present ended, and you already know we would keep in contact with Christmas playing cards. And I used to be expensive associates and nonetheless am with Elizabeth Montgomery and Bill Asher’s youngsters. So I stayed in contact together with her by her kids. …. She was the mother of my associates.”
Murphy beforehand stated that she was near each of her Darrin dads. In a 2025 interview with People, she shared that York was “like a dad” to her on and off digicam. “Dick York was a dad, and he had a lot of kids, and he was just more paternal,” she stated of the late actor. “So he was more like a dad.”
“Dick Sargent was an awesome man, and we had been in contact up till he handed away,” Murphy added of his second TV dad, who died in 1994.
This story was initially printed by Parade on May 6, 2026, the place it first appeared in the Entertainment part. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.