It’s been over a decade and we’re still not over Charmed. The CW (then WB) show about a trio of witches fighting evil and saving the world is one of the most successful female-led television shows and is still adored by fans around the world.
While we can no longer tune in every week to see what the Halliwell sisters are up to, we can keep up with the actresses who portrayed them.
Like the rest of her Charmed co-stars, Holly Marie Combs has changed a lot since her days portraying Piper on the show. She looks similar but she has amassed several more acting credits and has also gone through changes in her personal life.
Said to be one of the wealthiest former Charmed stars, Combs has appeared in other successful projects in the entertainment industry since her days of magically freezing time. She also reunites with her former co-stars on occasion.
The History Of ‘Charmed’
With a reboot released in 2018, a new generation has fallen in love with Charmed. Still, many fans of the original show believe that there can never be another series quite like the Charmed that first premiered back in 1998.
The popular fantasy show tells the story of the Halliwell sisters, witches who are known as the Charmed Ones thanks to the power they possess when they come together.
Set in San Francisco, the series follows the lives of the Halliwell sisters as they work and have relationships like normal women while fighting demons and saving the world in secret.
Although it’s a fantasy show, Charmed won over so many fans thanks to its themes of family, unity, and sisterhood.
Holly Marie Combs’ Character On ‘Charmed’
In the original series, Holly Marie Combs portrayed Piper Halliwell. In seasons one to three, Piper is the middle sister, a mediator between older sister Prue and younger sister Phoebe.
But after Prue is killed at the end of the third season, Piper becomes the eldest sister. Piper’s power gives her the ability to freeze time and also cause small explosions with her hands.
While she’s initially timid in the first three seasons, her personality evolves and becomes stronger. She falls in love with the whitelighter (angel) Leo Wyatt and has two sons, Wyatt and Chris, who carry on the next generation of Halliwell witches.
Holly Marie Combs’ Acting Career After ‘Charmed’
After the original series of Charmed ended in 2006, Holly Marie Combs went on to act in other projects. Her most famous role, other than Piper Halliwell, has been as Ella Montgomery on the TV show Pretty Little Liars, which she starred in from 2010 to 2017.
Combs has also appeared in several other TV shows, films, and TV movies, including 2007’s Point of Entry and 2016’s Love’s Complicated.
In 2019, Combs guest-starred in the Grey’s Anatomy episode Reunited, where she was reunited with former Charmed co-star Alyssa Milano. In the episode, the two former Charmed stars again play sisters (with the same initials—like they have on Charmed) and must decide whether to keep their other sister, who is brain dead, alive.
Holly Marie Combs’ Life Away From Work
When she’s not working as an actress, Holly Marie Combs spends time with her family. In 2016, she started dating Mike Ryan, a restauranteur. The two married in Carmel, California, in 2019.
Combs has three children from her marriage to former Charmed key-grip David Donoho: Finley Arthur Donoho, Riley Edward Donoho, and Kelley James Donoho.
Combs first fell pregnant when she was filming the sixth series of Charmed and her pregnancy was written into the script as Piper’s second pregnancy.
Holly Marie Combs’ Opinion On The ‘Charmed’ Reboot
When the concept of a Charmed reboot came up, Combs took issue with the fact that the reboot was considered “feminist,” implying that the old series had not been.
“Let me say first that I appreciate the jobs and opportunities the Charmed reboot has created," the actress tweeted (via Entertainment Weekly).
"But I will never understand what is fierce, funny, or feminist in creating a show that basically says the original actresses are too old to do a job they did 12 years ago. I hope the new show is far better than the marketing so the true legacy does remain."
After Sarah Jeffrey, who starred in the reboot, called Combs and fellow co-star Rose McGowan “sad and quite frankly pathetic,” Combs hit back with another tweet:
“People speaking, excuse me, typing, derogatory accusations of a person's character despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary because of a difference in opinions about a tv show is just plain wrong. And also personal gain honey."
Is She Still Friends With Her Former Charmed Co-Stars?
While a Charmed reunion with the original cast doesn’t seem to be in the works, Holly Marie Combs does appear to still get on with her former co-stars.
Despite other members of the cast having rocky relationships, Combs has worked or connected with all of them over the years.