Nineties star Melissa Joan Hart has revealed that her surprise 1999 Maxim cover almost ruined her career.
The actress, who is known for her work in the hit series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, said she was once told she was getting “sued and fired” from the show over the cover, which came out in 1999.
Appearing on the Pod Meets World podcast this week, Hart, 47, said she was out at a work event when her lawyer told her the shock news.
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“At the time, I thought it was the worst day of my life,” Hart began.
“My lawyer shows up and goes, ‘You did a photoshoot for Maxim magazine?'”
“I’m like, ‘Yes, I did.’ They’re like, ‘Well, you’re being sued and fired from your show. So don’t talk to the press. Don’t do anything.'”
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Hart said she immediately started crying thinking her career was over and said that at the time, she had also just broken up with a boyfriend.
“I’m being fired from my show. I was just fired from the movie. I just broke up with my boyfriend,” she recalled.
Luckily for the star, she said she didn’t end up getting fired from the teen show over the cover and explained why bosses had a problem with it.
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“Nothing came of it. But of course, in the moment, I didn’t know what was going on,’ she said.
“In my Archie Comics contract, it said I would never play the character [of Sabrina] naked… so here they were thinking I’m in breach because I’m playing the character,” she said.
“That was supposed to be me promoting my movie, it wasn’t supposed to be a character. I had no control over what they wrote on the cover.”
On the cover, Hart posed topless in nothing but a G-string and a sheet with the words: “SABRINA: Your favourite witch without a stitch!”
She said bosses had an issue with the use of the word “Sabrina” on the cover, rather than her actual name.
The show centred on Hart’s character Sabrina who was a teenage witch and lived her aunts.
Also starring in the show was Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick. It ran from 1996 until 2003.