Sally Struthers, known for her role in All In The Family, revealed that she had a contentious relationship with the show's creator, Norman Lear, stating that she "wasn't particularly fond of him."

Lear died in 2023 at the age of 101, after decades being hailed as a TV legend who deftly wove political issues into situation comedy. 

All In The Family featured Carroll O'Connor in the role of the cantankerous family head, Archie Bunker. His conservative views served as a vehicle for the show's writers to humorously critique right-wing ideologies.

At 77 years old, Struthers portrayed Gloria, the daughter of Archie, who often found herself at odds with her father's conservative views, aligning more with her liberal spouse Michael, a role brought to life by Rob Reiner.

Struthers has claimed that her relationship with Lear was fraught with difficulties behind the scenes, and she even invested $40,000 in an unsuccessful legal attempt to exit his show following the fifth season.

She also claimed Lear once told her he only cast her because of she had 'blue eyes and a fat face,' on the podcast Let's Talk About That!.

In a recent interview with Struthers, Lear was referred to as the mastermind behind All In The Family, to which she promptly disagreed with that description.

According to Struthers' version of events, Carroll O'Connor first came up with the idea of creating an American adaptation of the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, on which All In The Family was based.

She mentioned that O'Connor and a 'close writer associate of his' worked together on 'scripts' for an American adaptation of Till Death Do Us Part. However, they lacked the producer influence and funds to bring it to fruition. After pitching it for some time, it eventually landed in Norman's possession, and for the next 52 years, Norman acted as if he was the original creator.

All In The Family had a successful eight-season run on CBS from 1971 to 1979. However, Struthers has stated that throughout this time, she was left out of cast dinners that took place at the residence of Lear and his then-wife, feminist activist Frances Loeb. 

Struthers mentioned that throughout the duration of the show, Lear and Loeb would host dinner gatherings, inviting Carroll O'Connor and his wife Nancy, as well as Jean Stapleton, who portrayed Edith Bunker, along with her husband Bill.

Rob Reiner, known for his role as Struthers' husband on television, was reportedly invited to the dinners alongside his then-wife, Penny Marshall.

Struthers claimed that Reiner received an invitation 'as Rob was the son of Carl Reiner, a close friend of Norman Lear.'

In the meantime, she claimed, "I wasn't invited to his house for eight years," and as the podcast hosts showed their understanding, she continued, "It didn't feel pleasant."

As season one progressed toward its conclusion, All In The Family had established itself as a ratings success. Struthers eagerly approached Lear during a break to discuss the show's achievements with him.

She remarked that he had auditioned an abundance of young women for the role of Gloria, and that the final selection had featured Penny Marshall among the last four candidates.

Struthers admitted that she 'didn't put any effort' into her final audition, believing that Marshall was a guaranteed choice for the role since her actual husband, Reiner, had already been selected to play Gloria's on-screen husband.

Once she confessed, she inquired of Lear if she had genuinely been 'the funniest one' during the actresses' improvisation auditions.

Struthers remembered him saying, "No," and then she responded, "Alright, that's surprising. So, what led to me being here? Why am I in this situation at this moment?"

Struthers mentioned that Lear responded by stating that he and the writers believed the show would have a longer run if Struthers' character, Gloria, was portrayed as a 'daddy's girl.'

Lear and his fellow writers reportedly believed that Archie Bunker would be difficult for American viewers to accept due to his bigotry and offensive remarks. To make him more relatable, they decided to portray him as having a tender side, particularly in his affection for his daughter.

She later asserted that Lear remarked to her: 'We brought you on board because, similar to Carroll O'Connor, you possess blue eyes and a round face.'

Struthers sensed that she had been pushed into the role of a 'fourth banana' on the show, with the writers uncertain about how to effectively incorporate her character.

She shared her feelings about the 'frustration during the initial five seasons,' noting that 'the talented older Jewish writers, who were skilled at crafting material for legends like Milton Berle, Carl Reiner, and Carroll O'Connor, seemed at a loss when it came to writing for a young woman.'

Struthers noted that she ended up with "roughly three lines each episode that included: 'I'll help you set the table, Mom!' 'Michael, where are you headed?' and: 'Oh, Daddy, cut it out!' The following week, I would find myself with the same three lines, just rearranged."

She claimed that after five years of frustration, she "retained a lawyer and attempted to exit the show," ultimately taking the dispute to arbitration and incurring $40,000 in legal expenses in her failed attempt to "terminate my contract."

Struthers expressed, "I experienced a loss and returned to have three additional seasons, which turned out to be the most enjoyable for me," noting that the writers provided "plenty of opportunities for me on the show."

In the end, Struthers received two Emmy awards for her work on the show: the first in 1972, when the series was still in its early stages, and the second in 1979, following her efforts to terminate her contract. 

She received her own spin-off series titled Gloria, which aired on CBS for a single season, exploring her character's journey after her husband departs for a younger partner.

Recently, she played a recurring character on Gilmore Girls and made guest appearances on popular series from Murder, She Wrote to American Dad.

Since last year, she has been playing a recurring role in the sitcom A Man On The Inside, which features Ted Danson as a retired professor turned private detective.