Tori Spelling addressed her sudden exit from the "9021OMG" rewatch podcast during an Instagram Live session, but told fans she needs more time before she explains what happened.
The 53-year-old actress appeared Thursday alongside former "Beverly Hills, 90210" co-star Brian Austin Green, 53, on the live stream, where she acknowledged the swirl of questions about her departure. She said she plans to share her side eventually but is holding back for now, telling viewers she wants to do it "in a thoughtful way, rather than being reactive."
Green, who co-hosted the session, said Spelling "needed a little time... to sort of gather [her] thoughts." Spelling added that she intends "to really take the time to really assess, really reflect" before going public with the details behind her exit from the podcast she co-hosted with Jennie Garth.
Spelling broke the news of her departure during a separate Instagram Live with Green in July, saying she planned to pursue other projects. She will not appear on the podcast's coverage of Seasons 9 and 10 of the original series. The show, which launched in 2020, is currently working through Season 8.
On Thursday, Spelling urged fans not to abandon the podcast without her.
"Please, please keep watching Jennie and Amy [Sugarman]. They are doing it and bringing on tons of fun hosts."
She called the ongoing episodes "amazing" and signed off with a simple "We love you!"
Green, for his part, left the door open. He said one should "never want to say never" when asked whether Spelling might return, though he conceded "it's so tough" to navigate the situation.
Garth, 54, addressed Spelling's exit on last week's episode of the podcast. She called the update "sad" and said she was "really happy for [Spelling]... to choose herself." Co-host Amy Sugarman echoed a diplomatic tone, telling listeners:
"This was 100 percent her decision. And look, two things can be true: we can be really bummed and disappointed that she's not going to do Seasons 9 and 10 with us, with you, while still wanting her to be happy and to be excited for her about the things she's working on and does want to do."
But behind the gracious public statements, unnamed sources offered a sharper version of events. One source told Page Six there was "no falling out" between the two women. A second insider contradicted that framing, alleging Garth had been "completely unresponsive and not there for Tori" during Spelling's hospital visits and her divorce from Dean McDermott.
That same insider alleged Garth tried "to box Tori out of everything involving iHeart and the podcast," treating Spelling "like a liability." Representatives for both Garth and Spelling did not immediately respond to Page Six's requests for comment on those claims.
Spelling and Garth played Donna Martin and Kelly Taylor on "Beverly Hills, 90210" from 1990 to 2000. The two reunited for the 2008 spinoff "90210" and again for the 2019 revival "BH90210," where they played heightened versions of themselves. The "9021OMG" podcast, which launched the following year, was supposed to be a new chapter for the pair, a casual rewatch that let them revisit the show alongside fans.
Six years in, that chapter appears to be over for Spelling, at least for now. She did not directly answer whether she would ever return.
Spelling's careful language, reflecting, assessing, promising a future explanation that never quite arrives, may satisfy fans who want to give her space. But the gap between the public pleasantries and the insider accounts suggests the full story involves more than a scheduling conflict. When she does decide to talk, the audience she built on that podcast will be listening closely.
In Hollywood, "choosing yourself" is often code for someone else making the choice unbearable. Spelling says she'll explain on her own terms. Fans deserve more than a teaser.
