Barbara Eden Spoke Out on Long-Rumored Tension with Elizabeth Montgomery

It's the alleged Hollywood rivalry that has lingered for decades between two blonde bombshells who starred in competing sitcoms filmed only steps apart.

At 94, Barbara Eden is shattering the feud myth once and for all, revealing what really happened between her and Elizabeth Montgomery. The TV legend revisited long-standing rumors that the two clashed at the peak of their sitcom fame in the 1960s.

These whispers have followed the "I Dream of Jeannie" icon for more than half a century. She has now insisted there was no bad blood between her and the "Bewitched" star.

'It Was Hello, Goodbye': Eden Shares

Both the Eden and Montgomery shows were filmed on the Columbia Pictures lot during the late 1960s, which fueled talk of rivalry between the two leads. Eden explained that she and Montgomery rarely interacted.

"Remember, the only time we saw each other was at 6:00 in the morning. So we were not really Chatty Cathy at that time of the morning, at least I'm not. It was hello, goodbye. It's good to see you. Things like that," Eden shared.

These brief encounters were hardly enough to form a close friendship, let alone provide any real basis for a long-lasting feud. Additionally, this was not the first time Eden dismissed the idea of a rift.

'She Was Always Pleasant': Eden Doubled Down

Back in 2013, while appearing in the "Bewitched" 60th Anniversary Special, she described their relationship as friendly.

"I enjoyed being with her. We did not have a lot of time to talk or be girlfriends. Remember, we would be in the makeup department in the morning, getting ready for our scenes. We had to get to work. But she was always pleasant," Eden noted.

The actress suggested that if any rivalry was perceived, it had more to do with the narrative created by producers than anything between the women themselves.

Behind the Scenes of 1960s TV Fame

Eden also pointed out that she and Montgomery shared a unique bond away from the cameras, as both actresses were pregnant at the same time in the mid-1960s. Eden welcomed her son Matthew in August 1965 with then-husband Michael Ansara, while Montgomery gave birth to her second son, Robert, the same year.

Montgomery also had two other children with her then-husband, William Asher — William, born in 1964, and Rebecca, born in 1969. Tragically, Barbara Eden's son Matthew later died in 2001 at the age of 35.

Two Stars, Two Legacies

Career-wise, both actresses enjoyed major success leading their respective shows. Eden lit up NBC screens as the mischievous Jeannie on "I Dream of Jeannie" from 1965 to 1970. This role earned her two Golden Globe nominations.

Her co-stars included Larry Hagman, Bill Daily, and Hayden Rorke. Meanwhile, Montgomery became a television icon as Samantha Stephens on ABC's "Bewitched," which ran for eight seasons between 1964 and 1972.

Surrounded by co-stars Dick York, Dick Sargent, Agnes Moorehead, and David White, Montgomery's performance earned her five Primetime Emmy nominations and four Golden Globe nods.

Despite the persistent rumors of tension, Montgomery never commented publicly on the supposed feud with Eden before her death from cancer in 1995 at the age of 62.

Montgomery's Post-'Bewitched' Brilliance

"Bewitched" marked Montgomery's first and only regular role on a television series. Following the show's conclusion, she built a successful career starring in made-for-TV films.

One of her final projects, "Deadline for Murder," aired on CBS the week before her passing. In the movie, she reprised the role of journalist Edna Buchanan, which she had first played in the 1994 production "The Corpse Had a Familiar Face."

During the 1950s and 1960s, Montgomery also appeared on the big screen, with roles in films such as 1955's "The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell" alongside Gary Cooper and 1963's "Johnny Cool" (1963).

Decades later, she lent her voice as narrator of "The Panama Deception," the 1993 Academy Award–winning documentary examining the US invasion of Panama.

Her work in made-for-television films frequently drew critical acclaim. Standout performances included 1974's "A Case of Rape," 1975's "The Legend of Lizzie Borden," and 1993's "Black Widow Murders: The Blanche Taylor Moore Story."

Now, decades after Montgomery's passing, Eden continues to maintain that the feud speculation was baseless. She stressed that there was no animosity between the two sitcom stars who helped define an era of television.