‘Bewitched' Star Erin Murphy Reveals What Happened Between Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York After He Left the Show
Bewitched had a magical cast when it made its debut in 1964. Starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, Agnes Moorehead, and David White, the ABC fantasy sitcom followed 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 role was played by twins Erin and Diane Murphy starting in 1966.
Bewitched aired for eight seasons, until 1972, but York only appeared in five of them. In 1969, the actor quit the show amid ongoing serious medical issues, and Dick Sargent took his place, with no explanation about the character's changed appearance.
During an appearance on Billy Corgan'sThe Magnificent Others podcast, Erin Murphy, now 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 serious and definitely had that side. …I'm not saying things that are disparaging. … That part didn't hit me maybe until later. It's like the show ended, and you know we'd stay in touch with Christmas cards. And I was dear friends and still am with Elizabeth Montgomery and Bill Asher's kids. So I stayed in touch with her through her children. …. She was the mom of my friends."
Murphy previously said that she was close to both of her Darrin dads. In a 2025 interview with People, she shared that York was "like a dad" to her on and off camera. "Dick York was a dad, and he had a lot of kids, and he was just more paternal," she said of the late actor. "So he was more like a dad."
"Dick Sargent was a great guy, and we were in touch up until he passed away," Murphy added of her second TV dad, who died in 1994.
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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 4:13 PM.