Suzanne Somers was never just the "bubbly blonde" from a 70s sitcom. Honestly, that’s the first mistake people make when they talk about her. If you only remember her as Chrissy Snow, you’re missing the actual plot of her life.
She was a massive disruptor.
She fought the gender pay gap decades before it was a trendy hashtag. She built a $300 million empire out of a piece of plastic exercise equipment. And she managed to stage one of the most improbable second acts in Hollywood history after being effectively blacklisted.
The Three's Company Fallout and the Blacklist
In 1980, Suzanne Somers was the biggest female star on television. She was on every magazine cover. She was the reason people tuned into Three's Company. But behind the scenes, things were getting ugly.
She found out John Ritter was making roughly $150,000 per episode while she was stuck at $30,000. It wasn't just a small gap; it was a chasm. When she asked for parity, the network didn't just say no. They made an example of her.
They moved her to a tiny, isolated set.
She had to film her scenes separately, usually just a one-minute phone call per episode. Security guards escorted her to the studio. Her co-stars were given color-coded scripts so they could avoid her. Eventually, they fired her.
Hollywood turned its back. For years, she couldn't get a meeting, let alone a role. People called her "difficult" and a "troublemaker." Basically, she was radioactive.
How the ThighMaster Changed Everything
Most people would have just faded away into the "where are they now?" trivia bins. Not Suzanne.
She and her husband, Alan Hamel, pivoted to Las Vegas. She became a headliner, eventually winning Las Vegas Female Entertainer of the Year in 1986. But the real shift happened in the early 90s.
Enter the ThighMaster.
It’s easy to laugh at the infomercials now, but that device was a masterclass in direct-to-consumer marketing. She didn't just endorse it; she owned it. By cutting out the middleman and the traditional Hollywood gatekeepers, she built a fortune that dwarfed her TV salary. We're talking 10 million units sold and hundreds of millions in revenue.
She proved that a celebrity didn't need a network's permission to be successful.
The Step by Step Comeback
By 1991, the industry realized they couldn't ignore her anymore. She returned to network TV as Carol Foster Lambert on Step by Step.
It was a huge hit.
The show anchored ABC’s iconic "TGIF" lineup for years. Working alongside Patrick Duffy, she reclaimed her spot as a sitcom queen, but this time, she had the leverage of a business mogul. She wasn't just an actress for hire; she was a brand.
The Health and Wellness Controversy
This is where the conversation around Suzanne Somers gets complicated. She wrote over 25 books. Many were #1 New York Times bestsellers.
She became the face of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT).
Medical professionals were—and still are—deeply divided on her advocacy. While many women credited her with helping them navigate menopause when doctors wouldn't listen, the medical establishment was alarmed.
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- BHRT Claims: She touted them as a "fountain of youth."
- Medical Pushback: Organizations like the Endocrine Society warned that custom-compounded hormones lacked FDA oversight and carried risks of contamination or incorrect dosing.
- Cancer Treatment: Her decision to forgo traditional chemotherapy for her 2000 breast cancer diagnosis in favor of alternative treatments drew heavy fire from oncologists.
She didn't care. She felt the medical system was failing women, and she was going to talk about it, regardless of the criticism.
Why She Still Matters in 2026
Suzanne Somers died in October 2023, just a day before her 77th birthday. But her footprint is everywhere.
Think about every celebrity who has a lifestyle brand or a "clean" beauty line. From Gwyneth Paltrow to Rihanna, they are all walking through a door that Suzanne Somers kicked open with a ThighMaster.
She showed that being "fired" is just a pivot point.
She taught a generation of performers that they own their likeness and their value. Whether you agreed with her medical takes or not, you have to respect the sheer tenacity it took to go from a blacklisted "sitcom girl" to a corporate titan.
Next Steps for Your Own Research:
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If you want to understand the business side of her legacy, look into the "Somersize" diet phenomenon of the late 90s. It’s a fascinating precursor to the keto and low-carb movements we see today. Also, check out her autobiography Keeping Secrets for a raw look at her childhood with an alcoholic father—it explains a lot about the resilience she showed later in life.