Ed O’Neill Claims He Was Followed by a Private Investigator When He Refused to Re-Sign for More Seasons of ‘Married…With Children’

Married…With Children was an unlikely success. The show, about a dysfunctional family, was certainly different from the family shows that came before it. A staunch opponent’s letter-writing campaign got the show into the media spotlight, but the cast’s chemistry helped it succeed long-term. Ed O’Neill, a largely unknown actor at the time, took on the role of Al Bundy. The casting was perfect. While O’Neill has spoken about his time on Married…With Children fondly, he once revealed that intense contract negotiations led to the production company hiring a private investigator to trail him. 

Ed O’Neill was discovered during a stage production of ‘Of Mice and Men’ 

Ed O’Neill was a relative unknown when he was cast as Al Bundy in Married…With Children. Sure, he had appeared in a smattering of TV shows and had a brief stint on Another World before Married…With Children, but a stage production would eventually lead him to his breakout role. 

During an appearance on Kevin Pollack’s Chat Show, O’Neill revealed that he was in a stage production of Of Mice and Men in Hartford, Connecticut, when a casting agent for Fox was in the audience. The agent approached him after the show and offered him a chance to audition for Al Bundy. He took the opportunity. His decision to slump his shoulders and add a defeated sigh to the dialogue won him the part. It turned out to be his breakout role. While O’Neill was beloved by the cast, and a sensation to fans of the series, there were some tense moments during contract negotiations later in the series. 

Ed O’Neill recalled being followed by a private investigator during contract negotiations for ‘Married…With Children’ 

Once O’Neill was seated in his role as Al Bundy, he got to work. Despite being Disgruntled, disheveled, and defeated, the audience couldn’t help but feel for Al. The show was a success, and it wasn’t one Fox wanted to lose. Still, Columbia, the production company behind the series, didn’t want to pay O’Neill what he and his manager thought was fair.  

During a chat with Page Six, O’Neill explained that before Married…With Children’s eighth season, his agent went in to negotiate but refused the deal being offered. O’Neill recalled TV executive, Gary Lieberthal, hurling obscenities when O’Neill refused a lucrative offer. Things got so tense that O’Neill claims Columbia had him followed by a private investigator. He said the production company was hoping to prove that the star was lying about a back injury. 

According to O’Neill, nothing came of the investigation, but holding out for more money worked out. Not only did he get the salary he was looking for, but his agent had Lieberthal throw in a new car just for fun. O’Neill revealed to Page Six that he went from driving a Ford Mustang to a Porsche thanks to his agent, Bernie Brillstein. Brillstein convinced the production company that O’Neill’s Ford Mustang wasn’t flashy enough for the star of the show. Lieberthal agreed and purchased him a Porsche to seal the deal.