Caroline Rhea, aka Aunt Hilda, Didn’t Watch ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’ Until Her Daughter Was 7
For an aging generation of ’90s kids, Caroline Rhea is best known for her role as Aunt Hilda in the original ABC series, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Unlike its darker Netflix counterpart, Sabrina was a lighthearted show more tuned to the earlier source material. Funny enough, Rhea waited a long time to watch it so her young daughter could enjoy it with her.
Caroline Rhea’s entertainment journey
Like so many sitcom stars, Rhea started in the world of standup. According to The Chronicle Herald, she worked alongside several of the biggest up-and-coming names in the comedy industry, from Chris Rock to Marc Maron. Rhea appeared on television shows from the late ’80s onward, including spots on MTV and late-night talk shows.
While she wasn’t a household name by any stretch, Rhea became a rising star in the comedy world. After several short-lived guest spots on TV shows and a short-lived sitcom, she took on the role that still defines her acting career to this day. However, it took her a while to enjoy Sabrina the Teenage Witch herself.
The ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’ cast gets honest
Many people forget that acting work is still just that — work. Actors put in long weeks without much time to relax. As such, many don’t consume their own projects the same way their fans do. According to Rhea, she loved working on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. But she never found the time to watch it — at least, not until her daughter was old enough to appreciate it.
“I didn’t watch it until my daughter was seven, and then we watched an episode,” Rhea told ET. “I immediately called her, like, ‘You were so good.’ Because we never watched it. We were saying we were too busy. We literally worked for however many years; nobody ever saw it.”
Rhea was not alone. Melissa Joan Hart, who starred as Sabrina and served as the show’s producer, found it hard to keep up while also working on it.
“People are shocked when we say we never saw it. And I was like, ‘But the thing is, Friday nights we work till 2 am,'” Hart said of their time on the show. “This is before DVR or Hulu; you know we did VHS on Friday morning and say, ‘Here’s tonight’s episode,’ and you think I’m going to go on Saturday morning when I get home.”
However, the delayed viewing experience might have made the times Rhea did watch it more special. She loves the show and is proud of her work. “Now, I watch it, and it’s so adorable!” Rhea said.
What’s Caroline Rhea up to now?
While Rhea has yet to match her Sabrina the Teenage Witch success, she remains hard at work. Her daughter, now a teenager, has mostly stayed out of the limelight. But she might explain Rhea’s family-friendly turn in Sydney to the Max. Rhea reprised her role in Netflix’s Sabrina series as part of an in-universe sitcom crossover. She continues taking bit parts on TV to this day.
Rhea, who was a staple on Hollywood Squares during her Sabrina tenure, remains a strong presence on celebrity-based game shows where she can use her wit and improv skills. According to IMDb, she is currently a panelist on the Canadian comedy competition LOL. However, when she isn’t working, she’s still raising her daughter.
Working in Hollywood and consuming its TV shows are two separate things. While some people love to experience the finished product, others don’t. Rhea, Hart, and the rest of the cast opened up about this. But it’s a story as old as TV itself. Thankfully, Rhea got to appreciate her work after her daughter gave her reason to revisit it.
Related: ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’: Salem the Cat Wrote 12 Episodes of the Show
