It isn’t rare for actors and producers to butt heads from time to time — and that seems to be exactly the case when it comes to Jennifer Love Hewitt on The Client List, a drama show that began in 2011 and aired only until 2013.
One of the actresses, Loretta Devine, seemed to imply that she wasn’t happy with the decisions that Hewitt, who also starred in the series, made during the show’s run.
Highlights
- Loretta Devine had 'mixed' feelings about her on-set experience on The Client List
- Jennifer Love Hewitt attempted to rewrite the show's angle mid-season.
- Creative disagreements arose when Hewitt wanted her real-life relationship with co-star Brian Hallisay included in the show.
For the 75-year-old, it was a “mixed” experience.
Loretta Devine mentioned her experience of working with Jennifer Love Hewitt during the show The Client List
Image credits: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
During the American Black Film Festival Honors in LA on Monday, February 17, Devine gave People a little glimpse into their dynamic.
“You know what? She decided to rewrite the entire angle of the show right in the middle,” she told the outlet.
While it’s not entirely clear whether Devine, who played former massage parlor owner Georgia Cummings, meant it as a jab, she mentioned she “was very excited” about the TV show and the direction it was going, only for it to be canceled after two seasons.
Either way, Devine doesn’t seem to hold onto any hard feelings toward the project’s ending.
“It was good,” she recalled. “Everything gets you prepared for whatever you’re going to do next.”
Image credits: Netflix
Image credits: Netflix
As per the New York Post, the series came to an abrupt end due to creative disagreements between Hewitt and the other producers, as she demanded that her real-life relationship with her co-star and now-husband Brian Hallisay be written in.
Hewitt, who had been pregnant at the time of filming, was not happy with the showrunners’ decision to have Colin Egglesfield, the male lead, be her character’s “baby daddy,” said Deadline.
A representative told the outlet, “There are many story lines we are exploring. So any suggestion that we are not doing our best to develop a great season is simply not accurate.”
The series met its end after Hewitt and the showrunners came to a creative disagreement
Image credits: Netflix
One user on Facebook wrote, “I remember the back and forth with Lifetime and JLH. It sucked because the show was really good! I can see how Loretta can have ‘mixed’ feelings if the lead in your show started letting their personal life dictate you alls professional business.”
Lewitt and Hallisay first met while co-starring in an unaired pilot for the show Love Bites in 2011, according to People, and reconnected once again while working together on The Client List.
Image credits: Netflix
Two years passed before they were expecting their first child together, and the pair got engaged shortly thereafter. In November of 2013, Lewitt and Hallisay tied the knot and have since welcomed three children: Autumn, Atticus, and Aidan.
In December 2024, Lewitt shared a little bit about how “proud” she was of the family they had created.
Image credits: Jason Kempin/Getty Images
“We, I think, struggle like most parents with three kids and full-time jobs and all of the things to find our time, but I really do wake up and choose Brian every day, and I would choose him every time,” she told the outlet.
“I genuinely feel that way, even when he makes me crazy. And he continues to choose me, thank God. I am always so profoundly happy that my kids are half him.”
Comments were somewhat divided when it came to Lewitt's decision to have the show reflect her relationship with Hallisay
