The Feud Between Chad Everett and Lily Tomlin on 'The Dick Cavett Show': A Look Back

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The iconic late actor/heartthrob Chad Everett found fame by way of Medical Center, TV's pioneering medical drama (CBS, 1969-1976).

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Legendary actress/comedian Lily Tomlin found fame by way of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, TV's groundbreaking sketch comedy show (NBC, 1968-1973).

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But no one was laughing when in 1972 Tomlin walked off the stage of ABC's The Dick Cavett Show, after she was startled by a comment Everett made during a segment when both guest-starred on the chat series.

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Here's What Happenned

Dick Cavett asked Chad Everett if he owned any pets, to which the charismatic actor responded by listing horses, dogs, "and a wife."

Everett intended the comment as a joke, but neither Tomlin nor the audience found it amusing. Things got worse when he went on to describe his wife as "the most beautiful animal I own."

To which a shocked Tomlin then yelped, "You own?!"

Tomlin then proceeded to stand up, declared, "I have to leave," and calmly walked off the set as the audience applauded in support.

Shortly after, Everett described her decision to leave as "disturbing." He wished Tomlin would have returned, saying, "She can't be serious."

However, that's exactly what she was. "It was a perfectly pure act," Tomlin later told the New York Times of her abrupt departure. "I felt angels walked me off."

Tomlin also recounted the moment in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, insisting she wasn't angry when she walked off stage. "I was in a completely relaxed, balanced kind of state," she concluded.